It Not Cool to Juul

Vaping and e- cigarettes are not new technology,however, there has been a massive increase in vaping rates. Over two million high school and middle school students have reported to vape in 2017 alone. The rapid increase of high school students went up from 12% of students using them to 28% of students within the span of only two years. (McMinn) Recently with the increased popularity of Juul with enticing flavors, the company has exceeded a 10 billion dollar valuation quicker than even big companies like Facebook. These companies are able to reach their young audience as Teen Vaping: What You Need to Know explains, “E-cigarettes promote their product to a younger audience by using colors and making the product look “kid-friendly’”(Teen Vaping: What You Need to Know). This epidemic has also lead to many unknown deaths and illnesses. Using these devices do even more damage on the teenage body because they are still developing. This can lead to habitual drug use. When teenagers vape they are being controlled by a nicotine receptor which is when nicotine can trick the brain cells. Vaping also can affect an individual’s dopamine system some things that are affected by this are desire, pleasure, and reward and impulse control. The vaping epidemic clearly has a negative impact can the government has started to take initiative.
Some states have responded to vaping because of the lung disease outbreak. 34 individuals died because of this, all having a history of vape related products. Many states have taken to banning additives or the flavored nicotine. In Massachusetts they banned vaping completely. (Smith) They are also going to start having the cartridges say “Not FDA Approved” this will help the drug reform. People are also seen to vape more as it is the ‘safer’ version to smoking. Countries like England actually promote vaping in order for more people to stop smoking. (Smith) This situation is creating a demand for action and is something that calls for some type of resolution.
Many of the current topics about vaping regard the issue of popcorn lung. Popcorn lung is defined as, “medically known as bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare condition in which the bronchioles become damaged and inflamed, often as the result of inhaling chemicals.” (Rettner) This vape related illness has caused many deaths. An article by Rachael Rettner tells the story of a 17 year old Canadian teen. He was reported to be previously healthy then he developed a severe cough. He had admitted to vaping everyday for five months. His condition worsened to the point where he had to be sent to an intensive care, where he got an ECMO (extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation) which pumps oxygen through an artificial lung outside the body. Multiple test for infection had come back negative but small airways in the lungs were inflamed and obstructed all because of vaping. “2,100 people in the United States have been reported to have this illness.” (Rettner) This goes to show how vaping can completely damage one’s health. The 17 year old spent 50 days in the hospital treating his lungs. He now hold chronic damage to his airways, which means that his exercise is limited. He now has quit vaping and does not use tobacco products anymore.
The vaping companies are still going to try to advertise vaping as healthy. They want to create a profit which will be a major competitor for major cigarette brands. Many companies are trying to prevent the growth of vaping as well because they will lose money. As explained in the article, “Altria, for example, paid $12.8b last year for a 35% stake in Juul, the San Francisco-based company that dominates the US market for flavored vapes, plus $1.8b for 45% of cannabis firm Cronos.” This shows how Juul is much more powerful than other companies, especially because the company launch in 2015.