People with Mental Health Conditions More Likely to Use E-Cigarettes

 People with mental health conditions were twice as likely to use electronic cigarettes, according to a new study. They were also three times more likely to be current users of e-cigarettes than people without mental health conditions. About 15 percent of people with mental health conditions had tried e-cigarettes and about 3 percent were currently using them, compared with 6.6 percent and about 1 percent, respectively, among those without mental health conditions. More than 10,000 Americans were surveyed by the study authors, who found that nearly 28 percent of current smokers said they had mental health conditions, compared with about 13 percent of nonsmokers. More than 60 percent of smokers with mental health disorders said they were likely or very likely to try e-cigarettes in the future, compared with about 45 percent of smokers without mental health conditions, according to the findings published online in the journal Tobacco Control. (HealthDay News, 5/13/14)

People with Mental Illness More Likely to Use E-Cigarettes

New research from the University of California San Diego indicates that people with mental health conditions are twice as likely to have tried e-cigarettes and three times as likely to be current users of the devices, as people without mental health disorders. The frequently debated and highly controversial devices have not been approved by the FDA as smoking cessation aids and have not been demonstrated as effective harm reduction tools. The FDA has released proposed regulations for e-cigarettes, but critical loopholes still exist. Visit the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium’s FDA Action Center to learn more about these issues.