That’s what researchers set out to answer in a new survey of more than 10,000 teens. The result: Teens who use e-cigarettes are twice as likely to smoke pot as their non-vaping peers.
According to lead research Hongying Dai, more than one in 4 teenagers who reported e-cigarette use eventually progressed to smoking pot, compared with just 8 percent of non-vapers. And the younger they begin, the greater the risk. Adolescents, aged 12 to 14, who tried e-cigs were 2.5 times more likely to become heavy marijuana users, which the researchers defined as smoking pot at least once a week.
One possible explanation: The nicotine in e-cigarette vapor may be altering young teen's brain chemistry, noted Dai. "The brain is still developing during the teen years; nicotine exposure might lead to changes in the central nervous system that predisposes teens to dependence on other drugs of abuse," he said, in statement.
Another possibility is that using e-cigarettes might spark a teen's curiosity about smoking pot – and reduce any worries about the use of marijuana, Dai added. And, in fact, this isn’t the first study to suggest that e-cigarettes could be a gateway drug, especially for risk-taking kids.
Dr. Scott Krakower, assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, NY, told HealthDay that parents should “put their foot down hard” and have a “zero tolerance” for e-cigarette use. He also urged parents to learn the warning signs of e-cigarette use, including:
- Marked irritability
- Hiding things
- Skirting the truth
- Constant dry mouth or dry skin
- Nose bleeds
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