A Closer Look at Youth and Nicotine Addiction

Vaping is a growing problem throughout the world, and it continues to grow as time goes on, especially in teens and youth. This effects their abilities to be one hundred percent when its necessary for their growing up stages.

Most people think that vapes are a new thing and that they were just created but the first vape was made in 1963 by Herbert Gilbert but that was only a private use and wasn't publicly sold until 2003. It says this in the article “Despite being developed in the 196-s, electronic cigarettes did not become a publicly-sold product until 2003” (Delmonte 1). Since 2003 Vapes have evolved greatly, going from a Cig-A-Like in 2003 which looks like a cigarette but is electric, to Vape Pens in the mid 2000s which is a longer vape with a tank for juice. Then the box mod which is a bow shaped vape that is a lot larger than a stick or e-cig, but also has the tank to pour the juice in. Then in 2015 the Juul, a very popular vape for teens was produced to the public. Different from the Box mod and stick vapes the Juul has separate Juul pods that holds the juice and are non reusable. The Vapes became so popular, especially in teens because of their unique flavors and taste. These flavors are ranged from Peppermint to Coffee Flavors. The juices that are needed to vape are made from many harmful chemicals. Some of them you consume all the time for example Diacetyl, a common flavoring used to give popcorn that buttery taste everyone loves. But what most people don’t know is that Diacetyl is not safe to inhale and can cause serious problems to your lungs, in an article it says, “inhaling diacetyl can trigger an incurable disease called Obliterative bronchiolitis (OB), also known as Popcorn Lung” (Kishlock 1). The most common ingredients in Vape Juice includes; water, nicotine, flavorings, and a propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin base. Another effect that vaping has on the human body is that the nicotine is a toxic substance and spikes your blood pressure and at the wrong times that can kill you. Emotionally the nicotine in the Juice make your whole mood change when you're craving one hit and it can affect your whole day. other effects that vaping has on your body is that it can cause dry mouth, dizziness or a serious cough.

The influences that people give, and that company's say are a big reason on why vaping is a big thing. Some examples of how companies influence the youth is by granting them scholarships. In an article it 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” (Tactics companies use to target youth 1). The Main reason that most teens start vaping is because of the unique flavors and the candy like tastes they have to them, In the article it says, “Youth e-cigarette users cite flavors as a main reason they begin using e-cigarettes' (Tactics companies use to target youth 1). The average price for a refillable tank for a year is about 1,150 dollars but for the pods for Juuls and other pod using vapes is about 1000 dollars. Other effects that vaping have on teens is that it can distract you from your schoolwork because you’re always think about the nicotine high. The number of teens that vape has gone up from 20.6 percent in 2017 to 25.7 percent in 2019, that’s about 5 million teens worldwide. In an article it says, “An estimated 5.3 million teens use e-cigarettes, according to the study” (Mcminn 1).

Strategies for young people to resist vaping is to not hang out with kids who vape and to know when to say no. As a teen peer pressure will be a big factor so you must be prepared on what to say and how to say certain things to get yourself out of the situation. If you’re already addicted to vaping, then there are ways to stop and prevent future vaping. For example, there is Tully Hill treatment and Recovery in Tully New York and Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare in Syracuse New York. Sadly, there are no organizations in Ithaca. The state and federal government has done a lot to do with vapes and the laws that have to do with them. For an example, the state of New York passed a law that says that all flavored vapes are illegal and that you can’t but them from stores anymore, the only downside to this is that it only last 90 days then the council will have to vote on it again. In the article it says, “Flavored e-cigarette products are officially illegal in New York — at least for the next 90 days” (Hogan and Fonrouge 1). That’s not the only law that has been set for New Yorkers, the age that you’re able to buy vapes has changed from 18 to 21, the same age as alcohol. This will change the number of teens vaping because it will cause them to have to travel for vape related products.

All of these reasons on why vaping can affect the body in a negative way all boil down to one thing, the nicotine problem for millions of student and people just in general is going up and will continue to rise as time goes on. I think so many people struggle with abuse because it’s a fad that students think that’s the cool thing to do and that there are no negative effects from it. Also, the way that people talk about it is a big problem because they make it seem like it’s the best thing to do. But nobody knows the long-term affect from vaping, people are already dying from vaping and that’s short term affects. The amount of people who start vaping because of the flavor of it and because they like the taste is dumb and I'm glad that they banned flavored vapes because that will cut down on a lot of vaping problems.

1. Vaporfi. Gianna Delmonte. https://www.vaporfi.com/blog/the-evolution-of-the-vape-industry/
2. Breathe Pennsylvania. Rebecca Kishlock. August 25, 2017. https://www.breathepa.org/3523
3. Truth Initiative. August 9, 2018. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/tobacco-industry-marketing/4-marketing-tactics-e-cigarette-companies-use-target
4. NPR. Sean Mcminn, Connie Hanzhang Jin. November 6, 2019. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/11/06/776397270/more-teens-than-ever-are-vaping-heres-what-we-know-about-their-habits
5. New York Post. Bernadette Hogan, Gabrielle Fonrouge. September 17, 2019. https://nypost.com/2019/09/17/flavored-e-cigarettes-are-officially-illegal-in-new-york/