Electronic cigarettes run a tight race with the law, pushing boundaries and producing products that are flooding into schools and the hands of children and young adults.

Ever since the cigarette-making machine was invented in the late nineteenth century, smoking has been very popular, especially among the age range of 18-34. Despite numerous attempts to stifle the trend, smoking among youths has always been prevalent and is still high today. Instead of the smelly, black-ash version of the past, a new kind of cigarette has been introduced.

The e-cig, or personalized vaporizer, is a battery powered machine that simulates the act of smoking tobacco by producing an aerosol that looks like smoke. This device was first patented in 1963 as a smokeless non-tobacco cigarette, and later hit the markets of China in 2004, and received its international patent in 2007.

Since they are tobacco-free, e-cigs can be used in public places and enclosures and can advertise on TV and radio. Because of this, the big companies of the industry like blu, NJOY, and Mistc, have been running fierce advertising campaigns spending over $23 million on magazines, $7.4 million on national TV, and $3.3 on local TV according to the American Lung Association. Legacyforhealth.org also came out with statistics stating that 23.6 million teens, ages 12-17, and 37.9 million young adults, ages 18-24, have been reached by these advertisements.

“I saw an ad on a newspaper on the street. It seemed like something that would be discreet enough for me to hide and something my parents wouldn’t smell,” an anonymous student shared about their first encounter with the product.

Electronic cigarette sales increased from 50,000 in 2008 to 3.5 million in 2012. The use of these devices among teens has skyrocketed to over 250,000 users in 2013. Most of the kids had smoked cigarettes before, but around 20% tried e-cigs as their first introduction to nicotine.

Although the product is marketed for its sleekness and “cool factor”, it is also purposed as an alternative to tobacco and a way to quit smoking. Over 67% of tobacco smokers made the switch to e-cigs to kick their bad habit. Yet the product still delivers nicotine to the user, a highly addictive drug, a fact that is not made obvious in advertisements except for the microscopic print at the bottom of the page or screen.

“I don’t like how much I like e-cigs. They are quick and easy, and give you a buzz without making you feel dirty like cigarettes,” said an anonymous senior.In response to this discussion, a fellow senior prompted, shocked, “Wait, e-cigs have nicotine? I thought it was just vapor.”

The Centers for Disease Control and prevention stated, “There is evidence that nicotine’s adverse effects on adolescent brain development could result in lasting deficits in cognitive function.” About three out of four teen smokers become adult smokers even if they intend to quit.

Even though it has been 50 years since smoking was linked to lung cancer, it still remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Unless laws and advertising fluctuate with the growth of technology of this product, statistics show that the use among teens and young adults will continue to rise.