Teens are starting to smoke e-cigs/vapes who have never smoked cigarettes before - True or false?

A friend of mine who has recently started smoking an e-cigarette to wean himself from tobacco cigarettes said that he has heard that some kids are now starting to smoke e-cigs who have never smoked before. He said the variety of flavors and the nicotine rush make them easier to start with for kids vs regular tobacco cigarettes.

I had not heard this. I though e-cigs were pretty just for people who are trying to wean themselves from tobacco.

Has anyone else heard about or seen teens starting directly with e-cigs?

No cite, but an e-cigarette dealer and artisanal e-juice maker is set to open a brick and mortar store/cafe near where I live in Michigan. I know him and have done work on the new building…when I asked if he was going to issue a press release he said no, because he didn’t want to attract teens, or people who wanted to take up e-cigs in order to lose weight. (Apparently there’s a company marketing e-cigs and zero-nicotine juice targeting people who want to take it up for weight-loss purposes.)

I was a hard-core committed smoker who managed to wean myself from cigarettes to e-cigs and no longer consider myself a smoker, although I am still addicted to nicotine. I’m cutting down on the nic levels in the juice I buy, though.

Just FIY and because it may be relevant to the OP - e-juice is widely available online with zero nicotine content. Not that I think it’s a great idea for anyone to start sucking on e-cigs and it would be teh height of irony if e-cigs were to become a “gateway” to smoking.

Other than miming smoking and a vapor “taste” what do you get from a nicotine free e cig that would help you lose weight?

An alternative to eating or snacking, I guess.
E-juice is available in an unimaginably wide range of flavors…two of scores of juice companies; check out the flavours (and yes, many are incredibly “like the real thing.”):

People who quit smoking using e-cigarettes typically report zero food cravings or weight gain.

It’s been a well established fact for a long time that smoking reduces appetite and keeps weight down. Even decades ago it wsa common for models to smoke to stay thin. Here’s a recent explanation.

Although on reflection I guess the answer for nicotine-free smoking would have to be habit and a placebo effect. But that would only work if you had a period of nicotine use to get the “real” effect. So now I’m confused.

As a former smoker and e-cig afficianado, I’m confused too so you’re not alone!

I don’t really see how, for a non-smoker, taking up a completely different taste delivery system would be an effective strategy for losing weight.

one of my s/o’s friends started smoking e-cigs recently, and she’s never been a cigarette smoker.

not a teen though, she’s 28.