Kaylee Rucker College Preparatory English Summary/Response Essay January 17, 2016 E-Cigarettes and Their Effects on Youth
Do e-cigarettes help adolescents avoid the harmful effects of traditional cigarettes in the 21st century? In New York Times health columnist Matt Richtel’s article entitled “Use of E-Cigarettes by Young People Is Major Concern, Surgeon General Declares,” Richtel discusses the negatives and positives of e-cigarettes. Richtel discusses how e-cigarettes, although safer than traditional cigarettes, are still detrimental to the health of the youth; Richtel accurately describes the steady use of nicotine products among youth and the fear that e-cigarettes are a dangerous gateway to traditional smoking.
In the article Richtel describes how, although e-cigarettes are a safer alternative than traditional cigarettes, there are still health risks that users and parents should be made aware. The brains of adolescents are especially sensitive to nicotine, which is contained in both traditional and e-cigarettes. Richtel explains that these cigarettes can harm teenager’s developing brains and can also produce toxic aerosol that can harm the people in too close of proximity to the smoker. Furthermore, flavored e-cigarettes have been connected to being a gateway to traditional smoking. However, Richtel stated, “At least among adults, e-cigarettes are considered a far less harmful alternative because unlike traditional cigarettes, they [e-cigarettes] do not rely on combustion, which leads to inhalation of deadly carcinogenic particles, and 480,000 deaths each year” (qtd. in Richtel par. 11). Richtel explained that e-cigarettes are the most commonly used form of tobacco among young adults (Richtel par. 5). The increase in the use of e-cigarettes among high school students from 2011 to 2015 is an astonishing 900 percent. Conversely, the use of traditional cigarettes is substantially lower, dropping below 40 million Americans for the first time in 50 years (Richtel par. 11). The sharpest drop of traditional cigarettes was among the youth, being 13 percent of 18 to 24 year olds still smoking. As has been noted, although e-cigarettes can be harmful to youth, these cigarettes are still a better alternative for traditional cigarettes.
Although cigarette smoking is not as common as it used to be, there are still plenty of other nicotine products that are being used just as commonly. Richtel stated, “Cigarette smoking among youth has fallen sharply in recent years but use of nicotine products over all remains essentially flat among young people” (Richtel par. 4). My grandfather talks about how when he was a teenager he smoked as well as did a majority of people his age. Now I’m a teenager and I don’t see or hear about people my age smoking cigarettes, but I do see and hear a lot about chew and other tobacco products.
E-cigarettes are believed to increase probability that the person will take up traditional smoking, but this has not been proven. Richtel explained, “Some researchers have said that e-cigarette use among youth could act as a gateway to traditional smoking, but the report says the relationship is not yet fully established” (Richtel par. 4). I believe that people who smoke e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes. Part of this belief comes from my thought that young people tend to start doing things that they know probably aren’t right, but then, when they don’t get caught, they think they can get away with doing more. The other part of my belief is that if the kid is the type of person to try e-cigarettes then that kid is also the type of person who will try other harmful substances related to e-cigarettes.
In conclusion, Matt Richtel’s article, “Use of E-Cigarettes by Young People Is Major Concern, Surgeon General Declares,” talks about how e-cigarettes, although harmful, are not as detrimental to the health of adolescents as traditional cigarettes. No matter what form nicotine is used in, there is a steady use of nicotine products among youth. Richtel correctly discusses how youth still use nicotine as they have for years and also how e-cigarettes could easily lead to traditional smoking.
Works Cited Richtel, Matt. “Use of E-Cigarettes by Young People Is Major Concern, Surgeon General Declares.” The New York Times, 8 Dec. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/health/e-cigarettes-united-states.html.