If I were a teenager today, I might think that using “vaping” (inhaling the vapors of) e-cigarettes is no big deal.
I mean, it’s not tobacco, right?
And it’s not regulated by the FDA. The grown-ups are still trying to figure out how to classify them with age restrictions on their sale in just half the U.S. states.
They deliver nicotine, an addictive substance that can make you euphoric. And who wouldn’t want to feel hap-hap-happy after a week of bio, algebra, and the hormonal cesspool that is middle and high school?
They’re being marketed as healthier solutions to cigarettes, because they lack tar and many of the cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco products. So, they’re not as bad as cigarettes = must be okay. I mean, Katherine Heigl and David Letterman vaped on the air, making it all seem cool and no big deal because it’s helped her quit cigarettes, you see.
Plus, they’re being marketed with kid-friendly flavors like cherry crush and vanilla dreams.
They’re reusable, so they’re environmentally friendly, right?
And they don’t leave you stinking of tobacco, so there’s little to hide from your parents.
No wonder the use of electronic cigarettes by middle and high schoolers more than doubled between 2011 and 2012. They’re an easy-to-access high that’s currently under the radar of most parents and beyond the concern of government regulators.
Some of them actually deliver more nicotine than cigarettes do — 12 mcg vs. nine. E-hookahs, which deliver 500-700 puffs per unit, last longer.
Reports the Los Angeles Times: “According to the FDA, e-cigarettes contain many chemicals and ultrafine particles that can become embedded in the lungs, just as regular cigarettes do.”
They are becoming a new gateway to traditional cigarettes, say anti-tobacco groups, by glamorizing smoking.
They are known as “battery-operated nicotine delivery systems,” involving inhaling vapor or mist.
Katherine Heigl says she’s totally addicted to e-cigarettes and they “aren’t bad for you,” even though she admits she has no idea whether nicotine is really bad for you. Then she said it’s no worse than caffeine. Then Letterman said he felt a little loopy.
So, compared to cigarettes, vaping is less dangerous.
Compared to not vaping, it’s not. And nicotine really is more dangerous than caffeine. As Livestrong.com reports:
According to the National Institutes on Drug Abuse, nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine, with a cessation rate of only one in 10 among smokers who started before the age of 21. It increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine—the brain’s reward chemical—reinforcing the need to use the substance repeatedly. It also causes severe withdrawal symptoms upon cessation, some of which include anxiety, increased appetite, irritability and intense cravings for the drug.
Caffeine, on the other hand, is “considerably less” addicting and far easier to quit, what without all that heroin and cocaine level addiction going on and all.
So, if you’re a teen thinking of vaping because the grown-ups haven’t figure it out yet, and your friends say it’s no big deal, think for yourself. You’ll be hap-hap-happier when you don’t have to break a nicotine addiction in a few years.
I used to smoke 2 packs of Newport 100s a day for 10 years. I dumped cigs (analogs) and switched to vaping 3 years ago. I had early onset bronchitis at age 25!! Now, even my doctors are amazed at my turnaround because I have completely reversed the bronchitis and even the majority of damage done to my lungs from cigarettes just by switching to vaping. And my nicotine level I vape at is 0.3%. If you had done your research, you would notice the trend in most companies producing “top self” (high quality) liquid with only 4 ingredients and nicotine levels at only 0.6% and under. Yes, I believe that as an adult I have the choice to vape however if my children were to begin vaping, my husband (who is a vaper and works at a shop) and I would not oppose. We would rather see them vape than pick up cigarettes. Both of us are previous smokers with about 20 years between us (10 years each). The vape companies do not market to teens. I am in the advertising industry myself and can say that the marketing is not aimed at them. And the wonderful thing about the juice is the choice of 0 (zero) nicotine. So then the juice is just 3 ingredients: Vegetable Glycerin (VG), Propylene Glycerin (PG) and flavoring. The VG and PG are found in many foods that we eat and OTC meds and everyday products so there is no ingestion of foreign or harmful substances. Check out projectvape.com, casaa.org and vaping.info to learn more. I hope that you can then edit your article with accurate information. Thank you.
You can get vg with no nycotene!!!!
wow…..the scare tactics are strong in this one. I’ve seen people successfully quit pack a day habits due to vaping and still enjoy the social and mental benefits afforded by cigarette smoking. I was a pack a day smoker myself for year and made the switch 2 years ago. Love it, not going back.
I see kids (and I have one) vaping a lot….for them its clearly the love of doing something “bad” but also because the technology is pretty enticing. They aren’t going to have heavy lungs, coughing fits, bronchitis and the risk of cancer that analogs come with. My son is a toddler, so no, he isn’t vaping…..
but I’m not going to lose my mind if he decides one day that he wants to.
You make “feelings of euphoria” out to be a bad thing. I don’t understand why. I run a business, balance a family and demands of being a community volunteer in EMS. That little bit of “euphoria” is a nice little break from the day, a break EVERYONE should be free to have that. Hey, it beats most of the pharmaceutical mood stabilizers the kids are being encouraged to gobble up at will, with no thought as to the long term consequences.
hi my name is william and i am 14 teen about to turn 15 and i am a regular vaper i enjoy the fact that im not doing damage and it tastes good and im part of a group called “cloud chasers” essentially trying to get the most vapor possible. my parents think its good that im doing this instead of weed and cigarettes. ive been doing for about 4 or 5 months and its really fun and i have not had any adverse effects. im also using 0mg nic juice of course so i dont see the problem with kids (as long as its ok with there parents) to vape.
Hi Tyler,
I’m Jen Singer, and I wrote this post. I am not ashamed to point out the dangers of nicotine, which is an addictive neurotoxin that, in liquid form, can poison and even kill people.
It’s currently unregulated by the FDA, and public health officials are concerned with the sharp rise in liquid nicotine poisonings in the past two years, pretty much since vaping became popular.
In fact, the New York Times reported this weekend about the dangers of liquid nicotine — even from a broken e-cig pen or e-hookah. I wrote about it here: http://mommasaid.net/2014/03/24/liquid-nicotine-for-e-cigs-can-poison-your-family/
So if you want to vape, please be careful. I wouldn’t want you to feel dumber as a human being by getting poisoned by your own e-cig.
Vaping e-cigs would be bad because they contain nicotine as well. Don’t want your kids hooked to cigarettes without actually even smoking a real one. E Hookahs on the other hand is just flavored steam.
How about less oogy-boogy scare tactics and more actual info! please do some real research and re write this post with information on what electronic personal vaporizers have done for people who smoke and what we vapors have to say! we don’t want them in the hands of kids, we want them in the hands of smokers!
This is ridiculous, the person who wrote this article obviously doesn’t know anything about electronic cigarettes. They come in flavors and are not marketed as kid friendly. Adults can enjoy vanilla flavored things just as much as children, so I don’t understand why that was a point in why e-cigarettes are bad. The juice for the e-cigarettes doesn’t have harsh chemicals that can be embedded in your lungs. It contains proplyene-glycol, a substance that hospitals use in their air—its completely safe. The juice also contains nicotine in varying amounts, 0mg (no nicotine)-24mg (a lot of nicotine). E-cigarette vendors do not like selling to minors either. And honestly, if your teen is using e-cigarettes they are probably using 0mg juice, because they don’t want to be addicted to nicotine.
Well said.
Being a teen myself, if I were to vape it would be without nicotine.
As you explained, the ingredients in the actual e-liquid aren’t harmful…
(Glycerol, pg, flavour and optional nicotine)
I suppose the problem comes with how to telll if drugs (such as nicotine) are involved.
Either way, its too bad vaping is seen as so dangerous.
I have a vaporizer at home that I use for colds (you know, the big ones that produce menthol vapor). I honestly see no difference between my medical vaporizer and a portable one.
Again, I completely agree with you.
This is a great topic, and important to inform parents about. I have be reaching out to teens directly via social media to inform them about vaping and other health issues:
http://drlauraoffutt.blogspot.com/2013/12/vaping-and-technofoggers.html
Real Talk with Dr. Offutt is also on Pheed, Twitter and Tumblr.