Vaping is no ‘gateway,’ Kerry’s media-blaming obsession, and other notable commentary
Libertarian critic: Vaping No ‘Gateway’ to Cigs
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Thomas Frieden claims kids who use e-cigarettes are at high risk of moving on to the “real thing,” notes Jacob Sullum at Forbes.com — and the Food and Drug Administration now has imposed regulations to prevent that, which may “cripple the industry.” But there’s no evidence “Frieden’s claim is true” and “considerable evidence” it’s not, Sullum warns. Teens’ smoking rates “have fallen to record lows even as more and more of them experiment with vaping,” he notes. And research casts doubt on the “gateway” claims. For instance, “Survey data show that few teenagers who have never smoked use e-cigarettes and that even fewer do so on a regular basis.” And a study of Connecticut kids found that “most never-smoking” teens use e-cigs “containing no nicotine.”
