I am a medical professional, a former school nurse and a parent of a teen who is addicted to nicotine by way of a Juul e-cig. I consider myself a health activist and a proactive parent, one who assumed the responsibility of discussing smoking, alcohol and marijuana with my children. Unfortunately, the teen vaping epidemic is very real and despite my early discussions, the ease of access coupled with the highly addictive nature of nicotine, has left my teen struggling with how to support a $120/month addiction. She foregoes a full tank of gas and struggles to purchase toiletries and other necessities. She realizes the cost, but her attempts to quit have been unsuccessful. And she is only 17, not yet old enough to walk into a vape store and buy her own drug. Unfortunately, she has friends that are over 18.
I believe the e-cig industry marketed its nicotine delivery systems to teens initially using the flavors as an appealing bait. To a teen, surely something that sounds like a flavor of gum cannot be all that bad. The hook was the buzz of the nicotine rush. The early marketing ploy of the Juul has ensured a lifetime of struggling nicotine addicts reeled in below the age of legal ability to purchase these devices. Advertising is unnecessary now. The teens post on their social media accounts and, in essence, are advertising for the companies.
How did this happen? Let me shed some light. One puff of a Juul e-cigarette delivers the equivalent nicotine as an entire cigarette. Let that sink in: In 30 seconds, a person can take two puffs of an e-cig. A smoker would have to smoke two cigarettes back to back to get the same nicotine that was just consumed in 30 seconds. An entire Juul pod has the same nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. Teens have the capability to go through several pods in a day. Additionally, the vapor does not have the telltale smoke of cigarettes. Parents are none the wiser, as these devices are sleek and appear innocuous, perhaps mistaken for a computer storage device.
With this background, the CDC’s concerns that have been recently reported, have (unfortunately) been reactive to the issues at hand. The hysteria’ of the media is justifiable retrospective alarm.
The guest column blamed the youth vape crisis on THC rather than nicotine. Make no mistake: there are two issues at hand here: 1. Vaping THC which has led to hospitalizations and six deaths. 2. Vaping nicotine. They cannot be combined and categorically dismissed under the guise of media hysterics.
The CDC’s concerns and stance on vaping are most definitely warranted; the addictive substance in question is nicotine. Research shows that nicotine is one of the top five most addictive substances, along heroin, cocaine, barbiturates and alcohol.
Sherri Jones
Aiken
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