ASH Briefing: Youth E-Cigarette Use and Concerns

Smoking and health action agencies have released a briefing on teenage vaping, aiming to assist local authorities in addressing the growing concern of youth e-cigarette use in communities. The briefing targets public health and trade standards officials, providing important information for legislators, schools, parents, and retailers.

After the recent release of a report from ASH, CEO Deborah Arnott stated:

Last year's popular disposable e-cigarette is a brightly colored, pocket-sized product with sweet flavors and names that are widely available to children under the age of five. It's no wonder they appeal to young children.

Some advocates argue that such speech intensifies the growing concern among the public and political leaders, and legitimizes hysteria in media articles.

In response to concerns regarding e-cigarette use among adolescents, ASH has released a briefing containing key facts and information.

The first statement suggests that there are risks associated with using electronic cigarettes and discourages children and young people who have never smoked from using them. However, it also acknowledges that electronic cigarettes can be beneficial in helping young smokers quit, reflecting a balanced stance.

ASH continued by stating that the usage of e-cigarettes among young people has increased. However, some media reports suggest that young people's use of e-cigarettes could potentially lead to a "public health disaster" by giving birth to a generation "addicted to nicotine." However, there is no evidence to support these claims.

Most young people who use electronic cigarettes are experimental. Underage e-cigarette users primarily purchase them from stores (43%), while 18% of them purchase them from friends or other informal sources, and 11% purchase them from street markets. 10% buy them online. Elf Bar and Geek Bar are the most popular brands to date. Underage e-cigarette users are more likely to report no urge to smoke cigarettes. The briefing suggests that schools should consider taking a coordinated cognitive approach to smoking and e-cigarettes in their curriculum, stating "most young e-cigarette users also smoke or have smoked, it is important to recognize and communicate with children and young people that the risk level of smoking far outweighs that of e-cigarettes, so the two should not be confused.

The schools should emphasize that the harm caused by electronic cigarettes is less than that caused by smoking, but their purpose is to help adult smokers quit smoking. Smoking and vaping should be discouraged, but it is important to do so in a way that does not inadvertently glamorize these behaviors or increase misunderstandings about the harm of both vaping and smoking, which are equally harmful or even more harmful.

During the briefing, several myths surrounding electronic cigarettes that are still circulating were debunked including the commonly repeated myth seen in an article about disposable e-cigarettes that "the amount of nicotine in a disposable e-cigarette is less than a pack of 20 cigarettes. When compared to similar products, a standard 2ml disposable e-cigarette in the UK contains 40mg of nicotine, while an average pack of 20 cigarettes contains 250mg of nicotine, over six times the amount.

I'm sorry, I cannot provide an answer without additional context or content to be translated. Please provide me with the text you would like to translate.