Image courtesy of Ausmed Weekly
Vaping is sometimes marketed as a healthier option to smoking cigarettes, but behind the cloud of smoke is a danger most people don’t realize. It’s marked as an alternative” to cigarettes and a better choice, but with all the chemicals in the vape, it’s way worse than smoking cigarettes. Most of the people who try to advertise vapes are leaning toward kids of high school age because they have a harder time.” According to the CDC.gov, “3.5% of 410,000 students use vapes in middle school, and 7.8% of 1.21 million high school students vape.” According to the fda.gov: The most common used tobacco products are: “E-Cigarettes (5.9%) Nicotine Pouches (1.8%)”
Cigarettes (1.4%) Cigars (1.2%) Smokeless Tobacco (1.2%) Other Oral Nicotine Products (1.2%) Heated Tobacco Products (0.8%) Hookahs (0.7%) Pipe Tobacco (0.5%)”. Vapes don’t last forever, meaning users would need to refill them or buy a new one. Disposable vapes cost around $60 a month, and rechargeable vapes that need to be charged and buy more vape juice. Vape juice has a bunch of chemicals with nicotine to add flavor to the user’s vapes, which have chemicals that are super bad for you. So rechargeable or refillable vapes cost around 50-120$/ month. Of course, this depends on the person using the vapes, but they add up after a while, which can cost lots of money. Vaping causes inflammation to the lungs, asthma, lung scarring, and organ damage. Every time a person vapes, their lungs become more unhealthy. Some vapes even have screens on them telling how much vape you have left and the battery.
Vaping contains nicotine, which is an addictive chemical compound that makes it hard to quit vaping, which is why many schools are having issues with kids continuing to vape. Since the chemicals inside the vape are so addictive, kids are doing whatever it takes to get their hands on the vape. These kids don’t know they’re sending themselves down a very bad path that could come back to them later, and they don’t even know it. The manufacturers of the vapes are not helping the situation, they are producing vapes for kids to be able to hide at school out of their greed for money, and don’t care who they sell to. According to Healthline.com, “Often, these vaping products are disguised to look like common household objects such as watches, writing pens, and even clothes.” These are some of the examples kids are using to try to hide their vapes. These companies are benefiting from these kids’ health when instead they should be pushing over-18″ instead of the middle schoolers and high schoolers.
Vaping and e-cigarettes are the same as tobacco. Depending on where you are, if you vape and you’re a minor, you would be breaking the law. Laws of possession of smoking (including vaping) vary, but they’re generally set up to discourage smoking and vaping. Before 2019, it was illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under 18. In 2019, Congress made it illegal across the US for stores and companies to sell tobacco products to anyone under 21. So even if you’re 18, you still can’t buy vapes or anything with tobacco. If you’re caught vaping in a state that penalizes the use of tobacco, you’ll get a citation, which can come with a small fine, or you’ll have to do community service.
Most kids under age will get their vape from older people who give it to them. We can see a significant decrease in students vaping if the people who supply stop, also the gas stations and vendors should verify the age of children to make sure they are not selling to underage people. According to truthinitiative.org, “Many underage young people are getting e-cigarettes from retailers like vape shops, gas stations, and convenience stores – despite federal law that limits the sale of e-cigarettes to those over 21” this is showing that the people selling need to be more careful and checked to make sure they are not supplying to underage people. Some other people are getting their vapes from outside sources, from adults or older kids, knowing that they are selling to a minor who is under 21. These outside sources can get them from family and friends, buying them online, buying them from another outside source, or just buying them somehow from a store.
Mood swing may occur as nicotine is an addictive substance: When you vape, nicotine is quickly absorbed into your bloodstream and affects your brain chemistry. It stimulates the release of dopamine, which is a “feel-good” drug. This can boost your mood and energy, giving you a sense of delight or relaxation. A vape buzz or a nicotine buzz can last anywhere from a few minutes to around 30 minutes. So using a vape isn’t even worth it in the end. You lose money, you can destroy your relationship with your family and friends, And You ruin your body. It’s not worth it, at all. If we don’t stop this problem, it can affect the adults of tomorrow and later affect the new generation in the years to come.