e-Cigarettes—The Roles of Regulation and Clinicians

e-Cigarettes are a rapidly evolving category of battery-operated devices that heat nicotine, flavor additives, and chemicals to the point of areolation. Users generally refer to the inhalation of the aerosolized nicotine and chemicals as “vaping.” According to a recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 13% of high school students in the United States have tried e-cigarettes.¹ In our research, we found substantial annual increases in e-cigarette use among adults from 2010 to 2013. The prevalence of having tried an e-cigarette increased from 1.8% to 13.0%, and the prevalence of current e-cigarette use increased from 0.3% to 6.8%.²