Teen smoking increases when the vaping age is raised based on the findings of a new study. The research was based on higher age requirements for e-cigarettes passed in states between 2007 and 2013. This has resulted from state politicians and public health activists supporting a boost in the e-cig smoking age to 21 in some states.

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The study was conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine at Cornell University in New York. It was published in Preventative Medicine.

Many states are pushing for an increase in the vaping age so it matches the smoking age of 21 years old. They argue that stricter regulation is needed because teen vapers could become addicted to nicotine and them switch to traditional tobacco cigarettes, according to Daily Caller.  

However, there is no solid evidence that vaping is a gateway to cigarette smoking. In fact, some studies show that e-cigarettes can actually help people to kick their smoking habit.    

Scientific evidence reveals that e-cigs are 95 percent safer than regular cigarettes. Health experts warn that treating the electronic cigarettes like regular smokes could increase teens' risks from tobacco and damage public health.  

Dr. Michael F. Pesko was the lead author of the Cornell study. He wrote that e-cigarettes are less risky than regular tobacco products so it would be a "mistake" to regulate the two products in the same way.

Cornell's study backs up another one conducted in 2015 by the Yale School of Public Health. It showed that trying to ban smoking for teens under 18 years old actually increased cigarette smoking rates among the age group.

The Yale study learned that there was almost a 1 percent increase in smoking among teens under 18 years old in states that made it illegal among minors, compared with states that did not have such vaping bans.  

In related news the California Senate voted on March 10, Thursday to increase the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21, according to NPR. If Governor Jerry Brown signs the bill the Golden State will become the second state to increase the age limit for buying cigarettes and e-cigs. Hawaii was the first one.

This video discusses if vaping is unhealthy: