JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A new government study suggests the number of U.S. adults who have tried electronic cigarettes may be leveling off.
The number rose from about 3 to 8 percent from 2010 to 2012 but there was no significant change last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
In June of 2014, a new law went into effect that bans minors from buying e-cigarettes. A local doctor thinks that law is impacting the number of people trying them.
She said that law has hurt the e-cigarette business, which means fewer cigarettes in people's hands.
"I think it's great that e-cigarette sales are leveling off but one thing people don't understand about them is they're still dangerous they have nicotine formaldehyde," said Dr. Carolyn McClanahan.
McClanahan is pleased the number of U.S. adults who have tried electronic cigarettes may be leveling off. She expects this will lead to a decrease in the number over the years.
E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that produce an odorless vapor. Many people believe they're a safer alternative to cigarettes, but they're not regulated by the federal government and not much research has been done on them.
"People, many times, go to e-cigarettes as an alternative a way to quit smoking then they find it doesn't work and one of the issues is smoking has two parts of addiction: the mental and the physical part, and that movement back and forth to the mouth is the part that's not broken and that's one of the hardest parts to break," said McClanahan.
E-cigarettes hit the market in 2006.
The study found that 2% of adults consider themselves e-cigarette smokers; smoking at least one in the past 30 days.
Roughly 75% of those e-cigarette smokers said they also smoked regular cigarettes.
McClanahan said smoking is becoming less socially acceptable and said she thinks e-cigarettes are not far behind.
"I think with continued pressure and people who are non smokers wanting to stay away and the number of places people can smoke decreasing, I think well see a slow and gradual decrease," said McClanahan.
McClanahan encourages avoiding e-cigarettes and inhalers to quit. She said there's two parts to quitting smoking: mental and physical.
The physical part can be helped by patches and gum and she said the mental part can be helped by smoking cessation classes that are offered all over the country.