Why Kids Vape

Vaping, today’s youth’s new trend. But this trend is turning into an epidemic. First, why do kids vape? Well, there are different causes of vaping in adolescents. Probably, the one seen most is peer pressure, kids assume that if other kids are doing it and they’re not, then they aren’t “cool” Another cause is stress. Kids are under a lot of pressure from their parents, teachers maybe, even sometimes friends, to keep up their grades or figure out their relationships in school and out of school. People see it as a way to limit the stress and see it as a relaxing way to. But the causes are not as damaging as the outcomes of these vaping stories.

The Outcome of Vaping and What E-Cigarette Companies Have to Say About it

The vaping crisis has lead to significant damage to people’s health. As of November 2019, 47 people have died it also has caused well over 2,000 injuries in the U.S. according to the C.D.C. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). So what is it taking for kids to see that this issue is harming their future? Well, most kids don’t stop vaping until they’re hospitalized. One form of e-cigarettes is JUUL. JUUL was, at first promoting a way to help people get over their addiction to tobacco cigarettes. It also advertises different flavors to appeal to consumers. This lead to an increase in the buying of these flavored e-cigarettes and as of November 2019, the company has grossed to $24 billion. But was this money worth all the physical harm that is being done? In July of 2019, the co-founder of JUUL, James Monsees snd the chief administrative, Ashley Gould testified during a congressional hearing about the controversial JUUL and its effects. In a statement from Monsees, he explicitly informs “Never wanted any any non-nicotine users, and certainly not anyone underage to use its products.” But obviously that was not right lots and lots of teenagers vape and lots and lots of people who don’t smoke tobacco cigarettes smoke e-cigarettes. It is ironic though that something that was first presented as a way to dispose of their tobacco cigarette addiction is now an even larger addiction than that. Schools can tell which students are vaping because they go through withdrawals, so bad that they start to shake, they can’t sit still, etc. This issue could be a problem for students who are in class and going through withdrawals. After these withdrawals  students constantly leave a class to hit it (sometimes more than once each class). So, what can and schools, and government do to help prevent this epidemic from continuing?

Government and School Prevention

 In November 2019, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo made a statement about New York State filing a lawsuit against JUUL. “It is undeniable that the vaping industry is using flavored e-cigarettes to get young people hooked on potentially dangerous and deadly products, and the predatory marketing practices used by these companies have no place in New York. We commend Attorney General James for joining us as we fight for the future of this state and for the health of all New Yorkers. We will continue using every tool at our disposal to protect young people from forming dangerous lifelong habits.” But not only State government has taken measures to prevent e-cigarette damage. In September 2019, President Trump announced he was working on a plan to ban flavored e-cigarettes. But since then he has refused to sign the ban because he was concerned if he made it illegal that crime rates would go up from bringing these products illegally to the U.S. as you have seen from past bans like certain drugs, and the prohibition. But he has supported raising the smoking age to 21, and invited e-cigarette company executives and public health groups for their version of a solution for fighting this epidemic. But other important  preventions are in the one place that teenagers spend most time in, in school. So, what can school administrators do to help keep kids safe?

Well, some schools have prevented this by spending money on vape detectors in school bathrooms. They have people come in and talk to the younger kids about how damaging it is, so they take the right path as they get older. As a student, I feel that we should take preventive measures to stop this fatal epidemic before, it spreads and as a human being I feel that this issue needs to end because people are dying and being hospitalized one by one and unless a lawmaker takes action it won’t stop.  

Bibliography:

Woods, Amanda. “CDC Claims 47 Americans Are Dead as a Result of Vaping.” The New York Post, New York Post, 22 Nov. 2019, nypost.com/2019/11/22/cdc-claims-47-americans-are-dead-as-a-result-of-vaping/.

LaVito, Angelica. “Juul Co-Founder Defends e-Cigarette Start-up in Congressional Hearing over Its Alleged Role in Teen Vaping ‘Epidemic’.” CNBC, CNBC, 25 July 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/07/25/juul-hearing-scrutinizes-start-ups-role-teen-vaping-epidemic.html.

Cuomo, Governor Andrew. “Statement from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on New York State Filing Lawsuit Against JUUL.” Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, 20 Nov. 2019, www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-new-york-state-filing-lawsuit-against-juul.

LaVito, Angelica. “Trump Questions the Downside of Banning Flavored e-Cigarettes in Heated Meeting.” CNBC, CNBC, 22 Nov. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/11/22/trump-e-cigarette-meeting-sharp-divides-on-how-to-reverse-teen-vaping-epidemic.html.

Rogers, Taylor Nicole. “Juul Is Cutting 500 Jobs by the End of the Year, and Its Cofounders Have Both Lost Their Billionaire Status after Less than 10 Months in the 3-Comma Club.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 29 Oct. 2019, www.businessinsider.com/juul-cofounders-adam-bowen-james-monsees-no-longer-billionaires-2019-10.