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According to a new national study, American teenagers believe that smoking cigarettes is riskier than consuming alcohol or using illicit drugs. The study, conducted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), included survey responses from 44,979 adolescents, aged 12-17, who took part in the 2007 and 2008 SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Study authors expressed concerns that teens may be more likely to experiment with alcohol or illegal substances if they believe that the risks associated with using drugs and alcohol are low. Pamela S. Hyde, SAMHSA administrator, said in a news release:

"We are on the right track with cigarette smoking and need to keep raising awareness among teens about the dangers of other substances. Understanding that perception of harm is a strong predictor of potential substance use among young people can help guide the development of substance prevention messages."

SAMHSA researchers found that perception of risk relating to cigarettes was fairly constant among all respondents. However, perception of risk with regard to alcohol and other substances varied widely by age and gender. For example, more than two-thirds (70 percent) of respondents believed smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day to be a major health risk. By contrast, only 40 percent of respondents believed binge-drinking (consuming five or more drinks at a time once or twice per week) posed a major health risk.

(Source: businessweek.com)

Labels: cigarettes, teen smoking, teen substance abuse

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

On September 22, federal lawmakers banned flavored cigarettes. The ban applies to the manufacturing, importing, marketing and distribution of candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes. Federal authorities initiated the ban on these particular products because recent research has found that flavored cigarettes are particularly appealing to youth.

Dr. Lawrence R. Deyton, director of the Federal Drug Administration's (FDA's) Center for Tobacco Products, cites recent research studies which have found that 17-year-old smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes as smokers over the age of 25. "Candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular tobacco users," he said.

The FDA also found that almost 90 percent of adult smokers start smoking as teenagers, and that the new ban may help stop the more than 3,600 young people who start smoking each day.

The ban does not apply to menthol-flavored cigarettes or flavored cigars, however the FDA is studying these products.

The FDA and other federal authorities are investigating efforts by makers of flavored cigarettes to side-step the new ban by making superficial changes to their products. In particular, the nation's top distributor of clove cigarettes -- California-based company Kretek International Inc. -- began rolling its clove cigarettes in tobacco rather than paper, making them more like small-sized cigars.

(Source: www.huffingtonpost.com)

Labels: cigarettes, teen smoking, smoking

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A company called Smoking Everywhere has developed an electronic cigarette. The invention looks like a real cigarette, right down to the glowing red tip, but is smokeless, free of the harmful chemicals found in tobacco products, and delivers only one ingredient: pure liquid nicotine.

The battery powered unit is activated when the user inhales; the battery warms the liquid nicotine and a vapor of nicotine is released. The FDA has been prohibiting importation of the product since last summer, saying that the "e-cig" is an unapproved new drug because the product lacks scientific proof that it is safe or effective. Elicko Taieb, CEO of Smoking Everywhere, commented: "Our product is comparable to the nicotine patch except people still get the oral fixation, which they love."

(Sources: www.cnn.com)

Labels: cigarettes, smoking

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