Thesis

          Over the past decade vaping has taken over the tobacco industry and particularly has adversely affected younger demographics in the United States. Vaping began as a safer alternative to cigarettes but due to the ease of availability, concealment, high nicotine percentages, and less of a stigma compared to traditional cigarettes they have far exceeded that original purpose. This has led to vaping becoming a nationwide public health concern especially for young adults and teenagers. Sleek marketing, designs of vapes, numerous flavors, and targeted social media campaigns have led to vaping being seen as trendy as well as harmless. The reality is much more concerning as nicotine addiction, underregulated access, and misleading marketing is what lies behind the vape cloud. This is just the tip of the iceberg as well. In order to address this public health concern, we advocate for the implementation of stronger regulations and government enforced policies on the vape industry as a necessary step to overcome the problem.  

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           Regulations such as limited nicotine percentages, restrictions on social media marketing, and enforcement of current regulations are a good first step in the process but there are far more steps on the long road to change. One glaring issue is the under regulation of vapes within the U.S. market. Many of the vapes sold in vape shops and even corner stores are not approved by the FDA and haven't received any testing. This leaves the door open to larger than labeled nicotine percentages (mentioned in the hyperlinked paper above) and any potentially harmful substances that could be banned by the FDA. Another issue is the innumerable amount of flavors such as “gummy bear” and “cotton candy” which can be purchased from a simple google search. These flavors are clearly meant to appeal to younger audiences and also help the vapes be seen as harmless and fun. This also plays a role in the ease of getting into vaping for the first time as “cotton candy” is far more appealing than menthol and tobacco flavors. Regulating these flavors to a select few like tobacco and menthol could help prevent this youth appeal. Additionally, increasing the tax rates on vape products can make vaping less accessible to teenagers who may be more concerned with prices. 

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We make it our goal to advocate for policy change, regulation implementation, and long term solutions to address the growing issue of youth vaping.  

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