Image of teens vaping together (Courtesy consumer.healthday.com)

Will the Canadian Government start putting more Laws against e-cigarette companies to Stop them from Selling to Young Adults?

 

When vaping was first invented in 2003, its intention was to be an alternative to smoking addiction. Since then, it has become an addiction that has affected mainly youth and younger adults. According to the Truth Initiative, 800,000 teens have tried vaping in the past year.

Screengrab from the Truth Initiative explaining how 80,000 kids tried vaping for the first time (Courtesy Truth Initative.org)

Multiple research publications show young adults are vaping at an alarming rate because of the easy access to e-cigarette products and how e-cigarette companies are marketing their products to attract younger customers. 

Researchers also found that most youth and young adults are starting to vape before turning 16 years old. Experts are still seeing young adults continue to vape at an alarming rate. Lungsask.care research noticed that young adults and youth are vaping at a much higher rate than adults throughout the past three years. Elizabeth Crespi believes the rise is caused by vaping becoming more popular with the different flavours and designs.

 

Bar Graph detailing how young adults and youth are vaping at a higher rate than adults within the past three years
(Courtesy Lungsask.ca)

 

Things to Know Before Trying Vaping 

Vaping may look harmless to the uneducated person, but it can have long-lasting effects on a growing body. For example, Kids Health.org published an article about what vaping can do to a young body still maturing. They wrote young adults and youth can have lung damage that can be life-threatening, and develop severe depression and anxiety due to relying so much on the vape for a nicotine rush. They also noticed that most vapers eventually start smoking or try other drugs.

Unfortunatlly vaping symptoms can affect anyone, from the person that is vaping daily to the person that has tried it once. 

Almost all vapes do contain a certain amount of nicotine. The nicotine inside of the vape is what makes these devices so addicting. E-cigarette companies are not making that a huge priority when marketing. Instead, they market it in a way that will attract younger adults and youth. TeensHealth.org said it is harder to quit a nicotine addiction as a young adult because the brain is developing. 

Elizabeth Crespi, the Sr. Research Program Coordinator for the Institute for Global Tobacco Control said: I don’t think youth realize that one JUUL pod is the equivalent of roughly one pack of cigarettes”. 

When asking other young adults who used to vape or are currently vaping do they understand how much vaping is hurting their bodies, they said not really.  

 What can Adults do to Stop Kids from e-cigarette Use?

 

Image showing adult figures talking to young adults Source:NewsHealthroom.org

When talking about what adults can do to best help youth and young adults stop or prevent them from vaping the Better Health Channel suggests adults talk about the short-term and long-term effects that can develop from vaping. Along with staying calm and letting the child express their feelings while demonstrating that you support them and are there for them. 

They explain that peer pressure is a major factor that contributes to children vaping. They recommend adults guide and educate young adults, in hopes of the young adult being able to say no to peer pressure and not do something they don’t want to do.