Having a vape store on a street corner is not far away from us. The reason is that people love using vapes to satisfy their smoking needs. E-cigarette use has exploded in recent years, especially among young adults: Between 2011 and 2019, the number of high school students who used e-cigarettes increased from 1.5 percent to 27.5 percent, according to the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
Meanwhile, smoking rates continued to decline, with 5.8 percent of high school students smoking in 2019, down from 15.8 percent in 2011. So, it is clear that while many young people are not interested in traditional cigarettes, they are willing to try e-cigarettes. Today’s cartridge packaging are becoming more popular due to their discreet, high-tech appearance and higher nicotine content.
A false sense of security.
When e-cigarettes first hit the market in 2007, they were still some way from legalization. It wasn’t until 2016 that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had the power to regulate it as a tobacco product. At the time, it was illegal to sell e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 (the FDA later raised the age limit to 21 for all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes).
Young people especially tend to underestimate risk: In the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, when asked which tobacco products they thought would cause harmless or very little harm if used on a particular day rather than every day, 28.2% said it is an electronic cigarette, 9.5% say it is a cigarette. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that many young people use e-cigarettes because they believe they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
Many people don’t know that most e-cigarettes contain nicotine; a CDC survey found that even e-cigarettes advertised as nicotine-free contain 99 percent nicotine. A 2019 survey published in the journal Pediatrics found that 40% of respondents (all ages 12-21) reported using nicotine-free products but found higher cotinine levels, which is tobacco a compound in.
Attractive taste.
As for why young people themselves say they use drugs, many reasons appear to be socially relevant: In the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, e-cigarettes were the number one reason why middle school students tried e-cigarettes.
- Curiosity (55.6%)
- Used by friends and family (30.8%).
- Mint, sweet, fruity, or chocolatey (22.4%).
- It can be used for mischief (21.2%).
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most young people use flavored e-cigarettes and vape when they try e-cigarettes for the first time, and young people who use flavored liquid e-cigarettes smoke for longer periods.
Between 2017 and 2018, e-cigarette use among high school students increased by 78%; the CDC attributes this to “a new epidemic of e-cigarettes in the form of flash drives, which may be responsible.” These products are stealthy, high in nicotine, and offer flavors that appeal to teens.
Reasons why Young people like Vaping so much
1) Fashion. E-cigarettes seem to be gaining popularity.
2) Vapes are cheaper than cigarettes.
3) E-liquids come in many flavors.
4) E-cigarettes make quitting smoking easier.
5) It is not prohibited to use in public places.
Smart and compact e-cigarettes are especially popular with young people because they are easy to hide and don’t have the smell of regular cigarettes.
Research on e-cigarettes isn’t done, but doctors have plenty of data on the negative effects of nicotine on teens.
Final Thoughts
Health experts are concerned about the growing demand for e-cigarettes, which are apparently “healthier” because traditional smoking is deadly. In the United States, there are no restrictions on the amount of nicotine in e-cigarettes.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and the developing young brain is particularly vulnerable. Nicotine salts are very effective at transporting nicotine across the blood-brain barrier. It means that children are more likely to become addicted to nicotine. Some e-cigarettes now produce fewer aerosols and have little or no odor, making them easier to use indoors without detection. Some people put it back in their pockets after one or two puffs. Vape cartridges are also packed in custom CBD boxes by CBD Packaging Store.
The use of e-cigarettes for marijuana is also on the rise. Between 2018 and 2019, the percentage of high school students who used marijuana in the past month increased from 7.5% to 14%, according to the National Institutes of Health’s 2019 “Monitoring the Future” survey.
To reduce marijuana, use among teens, many states and cities have enacted regulations restricting the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and raised sales taxes on e-cigarettes. What we can do is dissuade young people from starting vaping, or help them quit smoking before they become addicted.
