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Comment by mruts | Hacker News Reader

Maybe harmless is too strong a word. We don't have enough data to really know about E-cigs at the moment, but nicotine doesn't have any deleterious health effects, in fact, quite the opposite; nicotine is good for you.

When we are talking about E-cigs, it's good to keep in mind the alternative, smoking tobacco. Smoking cigarettes is absolutely terrible for your health, something like 2/3s of life-long smokers die of tobacco related issues. I highly doubt E-cigs are even 1/000th are harmful, in terms of long-term outcomes.

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> it's good to keep in mind the alternative, smoking tobacco

OR not sell and advertise to children? It is proven that there is damage to young people so let's admit that the problem exists and find a way to protect the young but let the adults smoke or do whatever they want.

I mean do you think it really makes a difference? Kids have been doing drugs and drinking and having sex for as long as anybody remembers.

Teens are genetically programmed to engage in risky behavior, it's a very old evolutionary adaptation. I don't think you or anyone else is ever going to be able to change that.

All kinds of risky behavior dropped among teens: unprotected sex, alcohol consumption, heroin consumption, they even drive safer and commit less violent crime. So, it is very safe to assume that with changing society and circumstances, they will drop e-smoking too.

Also, teenagers are easy to influence through ads and eager to mimic cool characters in entertainment and what not. That makes them more likely to be influenced by both advertisement and lack of it.

Teenagers being somewhat more likely to take risk then equivalent single person of older age does not imply that the amount and kind of their risk taking is constant through human history and will not change as adults change their behavior.

The cigarettes usage dropped after we did something about it, so why are you against of informing parents and children about the reality, what I think we should investigate as a possible action:

1 write all the downsides on the packaging similar as for cigarettes

2 do not allow products that target children, I am referring to products with bright colors and candy aromas etc

I believe that the society can do a difference, it is true that some kids will use drugs, alcohol but those will usually have a problem at home, what we need to stop is having regular kids using e-cigarettes because they think are safe and cool.

> do not allow products that target children, I am referring to products with bright colors and candy aromas etc

the wide range of flavors is one of the main reasons that vaping is an effective smoking cessation tool for me and many other adults. please do not advocate banning flavors.

Your opinions must be considered too, so maybe we only force how packaging and ads look like.

yeah I'm fine with the whole packaging being gruesome images of lung cancer or whatever you need. all I ask is that you don't break the part that makes it actually work for me.

I wouldn't limit this to tobacco.

Advertising to children is real problem. Adults may be equipped to deal with the psychological games advertisers employ, children are most certainly not.

If children must be exposed to advertising, they shouldn't be the target.

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