A Closer Look at Youth and Nicotine Addiction

Introduction: The Growing Vaping Crisis

Vaping is a problem that's getting bigger worldwide. It's especially bad among teens and young people. This messes with their ability to be at their best during important growing-up stages.

A Closer Look at Youth and Nicotine Addiction

Most people think vapes are a new thing, but the first vape was actually made in 1963 by Herbert Gilbert. It wasn’t sold publicly until 2003, though. As the article says, “Despite being developed in the 1960s, electronic cigarettes did not become a publicly-sold product until 2003” (Delmonte, 2019). Since then, vapes have changed a lot. They started as Cig-A-Likes in 2003, which looked like cigarettes but were electric. Then came Vape Pens in the mid-2000s, which had tanks for juice. Next were the box mods, which were bigger and also had tanks. In 2015, the Juul came out. It became super popular with teens. Unlike box mods or stick vapes, the Juul has separate, non-reusable pods for juice. Vapes became popular because of their unique flavors, like peppermint or coffee. The juices are made from harmful chemicals. For example, Diacetyl, which is used in popcorn flavoring, is dangerous to inhale. According to an article, “inhaling diacetyl can trigger an incurable disease called Obliterative bronchiolitis (OB), also known as Popcorn Lung” (Kishlock, 2017). Common ingredients in vape juice include water, nicotine, flavorings, and a propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin base. Nicotine is toxic and can spike your blood pressure, which is dangerous. It also messes with your mood and can make you feel bad if you don’t get a hit. Vaping can also cause dry mouth, dizziness, and a serious cough.

The Role of Marketing and Peer Influence

Companies and influencers play a big role in why vaping is so popular. Some companies even offer scholarships to students for writing essays about vaping's benefits. One article says, “e-cigarette companies are offering scholarships, ranging from $250 to $5,000, that involve asking students to write essays on topics like whether vaping could have potential benefits” (Truth Initiative, 2018). The main reason teens start vaping is because of the flavors. The article states, “Youth e-cigarette users cite flavors as a main reason they begin using e-cigarettes” (Truth Initiative, 2018). The cost of vaping isn’t cheap either—refillable tanks can cost around $1,150 a year, while pods for Juuls are about $1,000. Vaping can distract teens from school because they’re always thinking about their next nicotine hit. The number of teens vaping went up from 20.6% in 2017 to 25.7% in 2019, which is around 5 million teens worldwide. An article mentions, “An estimated 5.3 million teens use e-cigarettes, according to the study” (Mcminn & Jin, 2019). This statistic highlights the urgency of addressing this growing epidemic among youth.

Solutions and Preventive Measures

To resist vaping, young people should avoid hanging out with kids who vape and learn to say no. Peer pressure is tough, so it's important to be ready with what to say. If you’re already addicted, there are ways to stop. For example, Tully Hill Treatment and Recovery in New York and Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare can help. Sadly, Ithaca doesn’t have any organizations for this. State and federal governments are also doing a lot. In New York, a law was passed making all flavored vapes illegal, but it only lasts 90 days before the council votes again. The article says, “Flavored e-cigarette products are officially illegal in New York — at least for the next 90 days” (Hogan & Fonrouge, 2019). The age to buy vapes has also been raised from 18 to 21, the same as alcohol. This could reduce the number of teens who vape since they’ll have to travel to get vape products. By raising awareness and implementing stricter regulations, we can hope to see a decrease in the number of young individuals affected by nicotine addiction.

Conclusion: The Future of Vaping and Youth Health

All these reasons show how vaping can negatively affect the body. The nicotine problem is growing among students and people in general. Many struggle with vaping because it seems like the cool thing to do, and they think there are no negative effects. But people don’t know the long-term effects of vaping. Some are already dying from it, which shows the short-term dangers. The fact that people start vaping because of the flavors and tastes is silly. I’m glad they banned flavored vapes because it will hopefully reduce vaping problems.

References

Delmonte, G. (2019). The Evolution of the Vape Industry. Vaporfi. Retrieved from https://www.vaporfi.com/blog/the-evolution-of-the-vape-industry/

Kishlock, R. (2017, August 25). Breathe Pennsylvania. Retrieved from https://www.breathepa.org/3523

Truth Initiative. (2018, August 9). 4 Marketing Tactics E-cigarette Companies Use to Target Youth. Retrieved from https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/tobacco-industry-marketing/4-marketing-tactics-e-cigarette-companies-use-target

Mcminn, S., & Jin, C. H. (2019, November 6). More Teens Than Ever Are Vaping. Here’s What We Know About Their Habits. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/11/06/776397270/more-teens-than-ever-are-vaping-heres-what-we-know-about-their-habits

Hogan, B., & Fonrouge, G. (2019, September 17). Flavored e-cigarettes are officially illegal in New York. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2019/09/17/flavored-e-cigarettes-are-officially-illegal-in-new-york/