Lung Association wants ban on e-cigarettes for teens

The New Brunswick Lung Association is calling for a ban on the sales of electronic cigarettes to young people.

E-cigarettes come in candy-like flavours, such as vanilla and berry,and are availableinmost convenience stores throughout the province.

In Canada, they don't contain nicotine which means anyone can buy them.

'They see it as cool and grown up and I believe will lead to possibly the real thing.' Barbara Walls, N.B. Lung Association

Barbara Walls, who speaks for the N.B. Lung Association,worries that allowing young people to buy e-cigarettes will eventually lead them to tryactual cigarettes.

"The only reason in my mind that young people are going to buy those and have them is because they think they are cool and as far as I am concerned they should be in the same category as thecigarettes with nicotine," she said.

Walls wants to see e-cigarettesbanned for young people under the age of 19.

"They see it as cool and grown up and I believe will lead to possibly the real thing."

Grade 10 student Denis Belliveau saide-cigarettesare a waste of money and he doesn't know many teenagers who smoke them.

"They are not that that popular," he said. "Everyonesmokes cigarettes because they are kind of pricey, for one they are like 10 bucks."

Tyler Chapman, who is 15 years old,doesn't buy into the idea of e-cigarettes either.

"I don't think it would get someone to try smoking because they have a flavour and then they would go and try a real cigarette and they would not like the real tobacco taste."

E-cigarettesareoften used by smokers who want to kick the habit and replace their habit of cigarettes with the e-cigarettes, which contain a mist.