E-cigarettes, which were originally intended to help smokers who wanted to reduce or quit smoking, now have another use. Apparently, these little electronic devices are being used by some high school students in smoking marijuana.
The study, which was published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics, was the first evidence that teens were using e-cigarettes to vaporize pot, Reuters reported. The survey was reportedly given to nearly 3,800 students at five Connecticut high schools.
The research was conducted at Yale University by Meghan Morean, an assistant professor of Psychology at Oberlin College in Ohio.
The study revealed that nearly 30 percent admitted to using marijuana, and 19 percent stated that they used both e-cigarettes and the cannabis.
Furthermore, the study revealed that about 15 percent of the users said they would use hash oil in an e-cigarette. Three percent admitted to using tetrahydrocannabinol or THC-infused wax, while five percent used the device to vape marijuana.
"Forms of cannabis that can be vaporized, like hash oil, can be many times stronger than marijuana that is smoked," Morean explained on a sent email.
The researchers said that using e-cigarettes to conceal smoking marijuana is easier. Many may be familiar with the scent of marijuana, but according to the researchers, vapor is different.
Medical director of Health Initiatives at National Jewish Health in Denver, Dr. David Tinkelman, apparently has the same opinion.
"It's easy to use, it's easy to load, it's easy to clean and reuse," the doctor told NBC News. "It doesn't produce an odor."
"What this has done is it's enabled children to use marijuana in a way that's less detectable, so their fear of getting caught has gone down," he added.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that marijuana used in a different form can lead to potential health risks and problems, like short-term memory loss, lung damage, decrease sperm count and slow learning, USA Today has learned.
"We now know it's happening, but there are more questions about who is using and how damaging it is," Morean stated.
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