Every year it seems the United States has to look into a new drug, or harmful substance that could potentially hurt the public health of the American population. Ever since 2007, when the electronic cigarette first came to America, the United States did not have any information on this new product nor did they know how to regulate it. The electronic cigarette has taken on a life of its own, becoming a large industry in today’s market. The problems that accompany increasing use of the electronic cigarette include how harmful the electronic cigarette is, whether or not it should be regulated in the market, and the effects that it has on the American population, especially the adolescents. 

When the electronic cigarette came out, most people said its purpose was to replace itself for the traditional tobacco cigarette. Today people now understand the harmful effects tobacco has so they are transitioning to just using nicotine. In a study, it was found that experimenters with the electronic cigarette, especially young people are likely to rise, rather than with tobacco products; over 40% by the age 25 in 2014, with 23% being regular smokers (Britton et al. 334).  The idea of substituting a nicotine product for a tobacco product seems to be a safer alternative, but in some research it can be a more dangerous one. According to the International Journal of Drug Policy, at first-time user smoking an electronic cigarette a few times a day can be a positive benefit for trying to quit traditional smoking, but most likely the user will start to take more puffs a day, and this will eventually grow to the amounts of times smoked being equal to or greater than a pack of traditional cigarettes smoked (Oncken et al. 475). Through large amounts of research, the electronic cigarette can become more addictive for various reasons, such as just changing the flavor of the vapor. The many different flavors have different concentration levels of nicotine in them and can have an effect on the user by them wanting to choose their “favorite” flavor, not necessarily on how it tasted, but more on the nicotine content (Oncken et al. 476). Though the idea of replacing a traditional cigarette would help society, the electronic cigarette proves to be just as addictive if not more than the traditional tobacco cigarette. 

Since the electronic cigarette entered the United States, the regulations on purchasing this product have been loosely handled. There are no restrictions when it comes to advertising or marketing the product, and in some places, the electronic cigarette can be sold to anyone. There is a big threat with such loose regulations, such as children being able to get a hold of these nicotine items. The problem with having to regulate the electronic cigarette, is some people argue that it helps them quit smoking and if regulations were put back on them then they would possibly go back to their traditional tobacco smoking ways (Britton et al.337). Another loose regulation is being able to smoke in places where smoking is normally prohibited. The vaporized product does not produce the same smoke as a traditional product does, therefore these can be smoked in most public places, and someone who was not looking might not even smell the product, or detect a distinct smell. As of 2015, the FDA put an 18-year old regulation on the purchasing of certain types of electronic cigarettes, but as far as what is being able to be advertised to the public is still being discussed (Capella and Maloney 130). 

The electronic cigarette popularity has spread so quickly. This is definitely because of   the marketing strategies by the companies. The group that has been most effected by the advertisements of the electronic cigarettes are the adolescents. These electronic cigarette advertisements are being shown on television, internet, newspapers, magazines, and in retail store, and unfortunately their targeted audience is adolescents. In these advertisements, it is shown that the electronic cigarette prompts experimentation among the youth and increases and maintains their product use. The themes for promoting these electronic cigarettes are rebellion, freedom, rule-breaking, and independence (Tushar et al. 2). The greater amount of exposure to the product a child has, the greater chance of use. Another sensational statistic shown was exposure to e-cigarette advertisement among youth aged 12 to 17 years increased by 256% from 2011 to 2013, and has become a $10 billion industry while doing so (Tushar et al. 1). All these many different advertising techniques are taking place, but none of them have been discussing the potential consequences that may come with smoking an electronic cigarette. The more that people try to advertise and market to the youth, the more this product will spread. This could eventually lead the youth to having a gateway drug with nicotine that could lead to other harmful drugs down the road.

The popularity of electronic cigarettes to some might seem as a positive outcome because of the lowering of smoking a traditional cigarette, but with this comes the rise in adolescent use, which is an effect that would be negative towards the society. It is not just advertising or marketers who are exposing this new product to the youth, but also parents, and peers whom they surround themselves with. It was shown in research that a child who has a parent who owns an electronic cigarette, or who has friends that use the device around them, are 11% more likely to try it and start earlier in their adolescence (Pentz et al. 73). The reason being for this is said “Youth, on the other hand, may be using e-cigarettes because there are currently no legal age restrictions on use, they look cool, taste better than cigarettes, and are perceived as safer” (Pentz et al. 74). Younger teens may be going through a vulnerable state in their lives, and may be experimenting with various things such as alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Then seeing people all around them using this product will only make them feel more comfortable in using it themselves. The study also shows that the younger that a child experiment with nicotine, the greater the chance of life long nicotine use (Pentz et al. 77). This electronic cigarette could potentially be the new gateway to other drugs, which would be a large gateway considering that this product is much easier to get a hold of than all other gateway drugs. Keeping exposure and accessibility to a minimum in handling these vaporized products could keep the number of adolescents experimenting with it down as much as possible. 

The research being done is showing how society is reacting based on the past, but the real question is what is the trend going on now, and what will it be going into the future of the electronic cigarette. In the earlier years, the trend was already surprising people with statistics coming out such as overall use of e-cigarettes has increased from 3.3% to 6.8% in 6-12 graders from 2011 to 2012, and use among high school-age teens saw the largest overall increase, from 4.7% to 10.0% over the same time period. Over the next few years, it continued to grow and even doubled (Mcgraw 325). The teens are the age group that has the biggest responsibility of growth, which is alarming considering the main purpose of coming out with this product is to help current smokers quit smoking. Instead it has shown that out of the 1.78 million teens who smoked electronic cigarettes in the United States in 2013, only 10% of them have ever smoked a traditional cigarette (Mcgraw 325). The upwards trends with adolescents and the electronic cigarette is a direct effect of many variables starting with it being more socially acceptable to smoke these products than any other product seen before. The trends of it increasing in the college student setting could be because it is allowed throughout a campus, in nightclubs, or in sporting events (Pentz et al. 78). If the acceptance of electronic cigarettes continues at all the different kinds of venues, then the trend will continue to rise. The current trend of the industry is growing to millions of users, not only in the United States but around the world. Every year, the numbers are expected to double, and maybe even more than that (Mcgraw 332). Through the research done on how it’s gained popularity and became a phenomenon, it has started and continues to begin with the adolescents. The adolescents are helping the electronic cigarette industry grow, by giving it free advertisement and spreading it among their peers. The future trend of the electronic cigarette will depend on the regulations it has, the advertisement allowed, and how it is marketed to everyone. If nothing changes from the rules of today, then neither will the pattern of this trend. 

The discussion will continue as the electronic cigarette will climb its way up to being a superior product on the market. Unfortunately, through all the research done, the same conclusion will appear towards the end. This product is so new, and there is a tremendous amount of unknown knowledge regarding the electronic cigarette such as the chemicals it contains to potential health problems that it could lead to in the future. The last time people saw a product take on a market in this way was back in the early twentieth century, with the traditional cigarette, which was marketed the same way the electronic cigarette is marketed today. After many years of being advertised as cool, fun, healthy, or a sign of social class, the traditional cigarette was proven to be one of the deadliest products the world has ever invented. The fear that comes with this new sensation of the electronic cigarette, is all the unknown chemicals that are in it, and could be found to have a similar finding to the public health. Therefore, people around the world will continue to produce experiments to find a solution sooner rather than later so people before taking a puff, know what they are putting in their bodies. 
