IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
State health officials are calling for tighter regulations on e-cigarettes, and they plan to conduct an educational campaign to discourage their use.
The California Department of Public Health vowed to combat “vaping,” particularly among people between the ages of 18 and 29, according to multiple reports.
Use of e-cigarettes in that age group tripled between 2012 and 2013, and state health officials fear that the devices will make smoking seem more acceptable and ultimately lead to more tobacco use, the reports stated.
The department released a 21-page report released Wednesday. Details of the public awareness campaign, including its cost, were not released.
Besides the report, the department issued an advisory to healthcare workers asking them to increase their efforts in educating the public about the dangers of e-cigarettes, according to the reports.
E-cigarettes are operated by batteries and are designed to help people quit smoking, but they do contain small doses of nicotine and some health officials suspect they ultimately encourage people to smoke.
The state report concluded that there is no scientific evidence that e-cigarettes either help people quit smoking or cause them to smoke less.
