E-Cigarettes: the next-generation nicotine epidemic plaguing our children

Written by Angus Leung

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Big Tobacco is taking new measures in their nicotine plague - this time, the bullseye is on our children, and their health.

Colourful e-cigarette “e-juice” is displayed on the shelf of a convenience store in California [Paymotile.com]

Any teacher or parent will know that the best bet for getting a child’s attention is none other than the allure and temptation of candy. The vivid, vibrant, and multicoloured packaging alone is sufficient to entice youngsters to spend all of their weekly allowances on a small sweet only to savour for a few seconds.

Therefore, it is no coincidence that Big Tobacco is making huge investments in the branding and marketing of these e-cigarettes: selling them in an extensive array of eye-catching packages, with a range of multicoloured candy-like and fruity flavours like bubble gum, pineapple, and mango. They are targeting our children - turning millions into addicts, causing detrimental harm to their health.

Studies show that there were over 3.6 million middle and high school students who were e-cigarette consumers in 2018, which boils down to a staggering 1 in 5 high school students who are e-cigarette consumers, a jarring 78% increase from 2017. These exponential growth rates are not the only alarming statistics that have surfaced recently. According to the US FDA (Food and Drug Association), in the last year alone, within a mere 33 states, vaping held primary responsibility of at least 450 cases of severe lung disease, along with 5 deaths - a majority of which were teenagers.

As a student myself, I have witnessed multiple instances of e-cigarettes single-handedly slashing away at the wellbeing of my classmates - and even some of my closest friends. I had to watch powerlessly, tormented by the sight of promising straight-A students being withered into nicotine addicts, eliminating any shred of hope for a healthy and successful future.

Founders of the biggest e-cigarette company JUUL released a statement saying “our product is not intended for young people”, and that they “want to be part of the solution to end combustible smoking addiction”. In my humble opinion, this is complete and utter bullshit. They paint themselves as saints, as the solution to nicotine addiction, while they hide behind masks and lure our youth into their immoral money-making schemes.

No matter how much these tobacco companies try to positively skew their public image, the facts are solid proof that they are wielding the weapon of youth addiction to drive their sales and pour even more money into their pockets.

Other than the obvious health detriments mentioned above, another alarming issue in this matter is that these e-cigarette companies are facilitating addiction, through marketing these “gateway drugs”. Let's take the example of JUUL, as mentioned earlier, the leading company in the e-cigarette market.

As we all should know, nicotine is a drug that comes with a whole list of negative side effects, and that it has been proven to harm brain development in consumers. The reason cigarettes are so addictive and hard to quit is mainly because of the addictiveness of nicotine.

One JUUL pod of e-cigarette juice contains as much - if not more nicotine than an entire pack of normal cigarettes - an entire pack. Yet these vile companies still insist, with a straight face, that their product’s “goal” is to help people quit smoking. I can confidently say that it would be much easier to get addicted to e-cigarettes than on actual cigarettes, which is the exact opposite of what these companies said they were going to do.

If you’ve begun to piece the information together, you should start feeling the anxiety and concern building up in your head. The addictiveness of these e-cigarettes, combined with the product marketing which is directed at children - Oh God. This scheme has already taken its first steps - slowly plaguing the student demographic, spreading like a disease.

Never fear. Not all is lost.

Now, we are finally able to see through the lies of these wicked e-cigarette companies, and shed light and attention on their true master plan: to kickstart and facilitate nicotine addiction within the youth population, securing a continuous flow of consumers in the future.

Armed with statistics and facts, we can start fighting back. Through raising awareness, especially in schools, we can expose the e-cigarette industry for what they truly are, and at the same time keep students from falling into the trap of addiction.

Together, we can save our children, our students, and most importantly, our future.