LONDON (Reuters) - Trying just one cigarette may not be so harmless for non-smokers after all.
Scientists have discovered that a single cigarette has a "sleeper effect" that can increase a person's vulnerability for three years or more to becoming a regular smoker.
"We know that progression from experimenting with one cigarette to being a smoker can take several years," said Jennifer Fidler of University College London.
"But for the first time we've shown that there may be a period of dormancy between trying cigarettes and becoming a regular smoker -- a 'sleeper effect' or vulnerability to nicotine addition," she added.
It should be obvious that citing statistics does not establish a cause. The "cause" of the subsequent cigarette addiction is obviously that experimenters are individuals who are predisposed to take up smoking at some point.
"Of the 260 children who by age 11 had tried one cigarette, 18 percent were regular smokers by the time they reached 14. But only seven percent of 11-year-olds who had never smoked had taken up the habit three years later."
Rather meaningless data. The comparison should be what percentage of children are regular smokers three years after they do start smoking.
The seven percent cited above may simply be later experimenters. It would be useful to know what percent of children first smoking at age 13 are regular smokers at age 16.