Dr. Vivek Murthy said use of e- cigarettes is rising at an alarming rate and warns of negative health consequences from the inhalation of liquid nicotine vapers. The report, the first from the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General on vaping products, says that e-cigarette use among America’s youth is rapidly creating a public health crisis. Health officials largely ignore the drop in the youth smoking rate, claiming vaping could lead to an increase in users of traditional tobacco products, reports The Washington Post.

Many health experts are taking issue with the report, criticizing government officials for ignoring the positive impact vaping is having on current smokers.

“The new report on electronic cigarettes focuses on youth experimentation and completely omits the opportunities for harm reduction these devices offer for adult smokers,” Dr. Edward Anselm, senior fellow at the R Street Institute, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “This is a continuation of the recent demonization of nicotine by some in the public health community, to the detriment of 40 million adult smokers who could be helped to reduce their risk to tobacco-related disease substantially.”