E-Cigs | Tobacco Free Alaska

Tobacco-Free Alaska > E-Cigarettes: Not Harmless. Not Healthy

Protect our Kids

In 2013, 14 million kids saw ads for electronic cigarettes on TV, 9.5 million saw them in print.

-American Legacy Foundation

The Facts About E-Cigarettes

What They Are: Background on E-Cigarettes

E-cigarettes—also known as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), e-hookahs, hookah pens, vape pens, vaporizers, e-cigars, and e-pipes—allow users to inhale a heated aerosol containing nicotine and other substances1, an activity commonly referred to as “vaping.”

• There are more than 450 different brands of e-cigarettes on the market today, and e-cigarettes come in over 7,500 different flavors.
• Several brands are owned by major tobacco companies, such as Mark Ten (Altria), “blu” (Imperial Tobacco) and “Vuse” (Reynolds American).

Alaska E-Cigarette Use

E-cigarette use in Alaska is higher among youth (18%) than smoking (11%) and has grown significantly among adults.

• Among Alaska adults, the prevalence of e-cigarette use has grown significantly from less than 1% in 2010 to 7% in 2014.
• In Alaska, the prevalence of e-cigarette use is higher among high school students, with 18% reporting current use of e-cigarettes in 2015.

There are no long-term studies on exposure to these products, including their solutions, cartridges or flavors. Even absent health outcome data, the known contents of the aerosols do pose a threat to indoor air.

Under current Alaska state law, electronic-cigarettes may only be sold or given to Alaskans who are over the age of 19. For more information on the law (AS 11.76.109), please visit: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/statutes.asp#11.76.109