Vaping is a serious problem among teens. With the rising popularity of vaping among teens, people should be concerned about the easy accessibility teens have to drugs with vaping, as well as the easy accessibility teens have to these harmful devices.

Vaping as a Whole

When viewing vaping, it may seem like a entirely positive thing, it is an alternative to smoking and it encourages a smoke-free environment. Yet under all of these positives is a whole lot of the ugly truth. Although these devices were made for adults, these devices are attracting a lot of attention to the youth, according to Kaiser Health News these reason might be, “Although its manufacturer, Juul Labs, said the device is exclusively for adult use, it is appealing to youths for several reasons. It can be easily charged on a laptop, its decal covers come in colorful designs, and the pods are available in flavors such as mint and crème brûlée.

The odor Juuls produce could easily be mistaken for a lotion or body spray.” In other words, it’s saying how easily these devices can be concealed and how the odors could be mistaken for other things like the previously mentioned lotion. This means teens have easy access to this device without raising suspicions in or outside of the classroom.

Risk Factor

While these devices are supposed to be smoking alternatives, the juice present in these devices are able to hold drugs like marijuana or nicotine. Yet there are alternatives to these options like drug-free flavorings. This may seem fine until presented with the fact most vapes on the market are largely unregulated meaning that no one checks if these devices are made in acceptable conditions or if they’re even safe to use. But according to Jessica Glenza, “Congress did pass a law in 2009 that would force the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the devices. The Food and Drug Administration works to oversee all food and drug products. Nearly 10 years later the government agency has failed to issue regulations to companies that make vaping devices. They don’t expect to do so before 2021.” This is very worrying information as these devices could be exposing adults and youth to unseen dangers as things like production or the overall work environment isn’t be checked on.

Popularity of Vape

Because of the ability to use drugs like marijuana and nicotine in vapes, they have become increasingly popular among adults and youth, yet why are they so popular?. According to Richard Miech from the Monitoring the Future survey, he said, “These findings emphasize that vaping has progressed well beyond a cigarette alternative,” this quote is from an article made by Jessica Glenza of The Guardian. The overuse of these devices has transformed them into something entirely different than their anti-smoking origins.

Verdict

While vaping could be a positive given today’s standards, there come a lot of negatives alongside them. With the rising popularity of vaping and the harmful drugs stored inside the juices as well as the rising popularity of Juuls in youth, it is hard to see what good comes out of these devices. This is how vaping among teens is becoming a serious issue.

Works Cited

Glenza, Jessica. “Study Finds More U.S. Teens Are Vaping than Smoking Cigarettes.” Newsela | Study Finds More U.S. Teens Are Vaping than Smoking Cigarettes, The Guardian, 20 Dec. 2017.

News, Kaiser Health. “The Latest ‘Flash Drive’ Trend for Teens Is Likely Concealing Nicotine.” Newsela | The Latest "Flash Drive" Trend for Teens Is Likely Concealing Nicotine, Kaiser Health News, 11 Apr. 2018.