Many teens have wised up to the disastrous health effects of cigarettes. They don’t — and won’t ever — smoke. Unfortunately, a fast-rising number of high schoolers and even younger teens have started vaping in the past few years.

Young people may think e-cigarettes are less dangerous than tobacco products — that’s true — and they’re attracted to the sweet but nicotine-laced vapors they inhale. Taking a furtive hit from a dispenser that resembles a pen or a lipstick tube is easier and less noxious than lighting up a cigarette.

But teen use has ballooned into an “epidemic,” warns Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. On Wednesday, he announced a major crackdown against retailers for allegedly selling vaping products to those younger than 18. He also warned manufacturers that they face more draconian action unless they prove they can keep their products away from underage consumers: The agency could ban some or all flavored products used in the e-cigs.

What prompted Gottlieb’s sudden call to arms? One possibility is new statistics that show an alarming rise in vaping. The FDA has unpublished preliminary data that shows a 75 percent increase in e-cigarette use among high school students this year compared with 2017, The Washington Post reports. “We cannot allow a whole new generation to become addicted to nicotine,” Gottlieb said.

Yes, we know e-cigarettes can help current tobacco smokers quit. That’s a tremendous health benefit for them and their families.

But vaping also can start teens on the self-destructive path toward cigarettes. A study of 12- to 17-year-olds found that those who vape are twice as likely to become regular smokers within a year, according to a study in JAMA Pediatrics.

Cracking down on retailers and marketers that sell to minors illegally sends a powerful message to the retailers. There’s another way to crimp this epidemic: Ban the sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes to anyone younger than 21. That’s the law in Chicago and some other cities and states. On Aug. 24, however, Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that would have raised to 21 from 18 the legal age to buy tobacco or e-cigarette products. We hope legislators override that veto.

Gottlieb’s alarm also should resonate in households across America. Parents who may have been relieved that their kids are merely vaping — not smoking — should now be aware of the risks, if they weren’t already. Vaping may not be as harmful as cigarettes. But for young people in particular, it’s harmful enough.

Editorial by the Chicago Tribune

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