The ongoing discussion on youngsters using e-cigarettes continues in Minnesota. Yet morecalls for bans on the different kinds of flavors and fears of long-term nicotine addiction. Againit’s a case of health officials not looking at the various studies that are carried out on theproduct. Most just criticize the product because doing so is the flavor of the month.Health officials claim that more teenagers are using e-cigarettes, many never having beensmokers. Well, why don’t they sit down and read their claims again because the answer isstaring them in the face. No one wants to see youngsters embarking on a path downtobacco road that is a one-way trip to poor health and early death. So the fact youngsterswho have never smoked are using e-cigarettes rather than tobacco is great news.What about those youngsters who have been smoking tobacco and are now using e-cigarettes? One such person is 18-year-old Anthony Berosik who used to be a smoker andused e-cigarettes to kick the deadly habit. Strangely those health officials aren’tcongratulating the e-cigarette industry on helping youngsters like Anthony.Berosik claims that a lot of teenagers are using e-cigarettes “because they think it’ssomething cool.” That’s nothing new at all, it’s always been that way, the same applies tousing alcohol at an early age.Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota health commissioner , said he and others are concerned that e-cigarettes will hook a new generation on nicotine. He of course ignores the facts that theuser can vary the amount of nicotine in the e-cigarette and some don’t contain any nicotineat all. He also conveniently ignores a study that showed that vaping isn’t as addictive assmoking tobacco.Jonathan Foulds, Ph.D. professor of public health sciences and psychiatry, Penn StateCollege of Medicine said: “'We found that e-cigarettes appear to be less addictive thantobacco cigarettes in a large sample of long-term users.”Perhaps Lloyd Johnston, a social psychologist at the University of Michigan, who carried outa recent study into youth use of e-cigarettes, should read that Penn State report too.Johnston says: "I think it's important that they understand — and I don't think they do — therisk of becoming addicted to nicotine,"His survey found that 62% of eighth-graders associated tobacco cigarettes with great risk,but just 15% felt the same way about e-cigarettes. Now either those students actually have agreat deal of common sense or they just read more positive surveys on the subject thanmost politicians and health officials.Of course it isn’t too long before the critics start mentioning the different flavors that areavailable. Johnston believes banning candy-flavored nicotine liquids is the way forward.Again it shows a lack of understanding of the product as many ex-smokers use the flavors tohelp get them off the tobacco for good. Do the critics believe different flavored vodkas arethere to entice youngsters and should be banned?