Number of teens vaping hits ‘record’ high, survey shows

The Vape Industry Has Fanatical, Vocal, and Fanatical Supporters As many people know, I have been making many posts and comments about vaping, e-cigarettes, nicotine addiction, and civil lawsuits against the manufacturers, distributors, marketers and sellers of e-cigarettes and vaping products (collectively, the “vape industry”). The vape industry has taken products with the potential to help some tobacco smokers quit their unhealthy and deadly addiction and created an entire new generation of nicotine addicts with an insatiable appetite for their products. Some people say that the vape industry has employed the same marketing tactics used by “big tobacco” decades ago. Such a statement is only partially true, because the vape industry may have started by using “big tobacco’s playbook,” but it went much further and used social media to market directly to young children and young adults (“youths”). The vape industry employed social medial “influencers” to create a vape culture which made the very act of vaping appear to be hip and cool to youths. The vape industry created vaping devices that looked like the everyday gadgets carried around by youths. Vaping devices which resemble flash drives, pens, cellphone cases, smart watches, jewelry, and even clothing are just some of the products marketed as “stealth vaping” products. The vape industry handed out “free” products at concerts and other public events which were attended by youths. The vape industry went into grade schools and colleges under the guise of providing information about addiction to actually promote vaping. The vape industry made its products taste like candy, gum, popcorn, mint, and other flavors that appeal to youths. The vape industry shamelessly promoted its products as safe to a young and naïve generation. The result is the epidemic which is causing disease and death among youths around the world. The above are not just my opinions but the opinions of many people who want to end the vaping epidemic. Healthcare professionals, scientists, and concerned parents have created websites, lectured, written peer reviewed journal articles, and taken all manner of actions to educate the public about the dangers of vaping. While the vape industry has hired pseudoscientists and celebrities to refute the claims made against vaping, an enormous backlash against the accurate and truthful information comes from the youths who are addicted to vaping. When vape addicted youths get to comment on an online article, study, post, public service announcement, or advertisement from a law firm looking to help them, they rant and rave about their rights, how stupid the anti-vapers are, and, quite surprisingly how safe vaping is. These youths simply write off the accounts of vaping illness and death as false stories and propaganda, or state that the products which caused such harms are not the vapes they use. The vape industry has indeed created cult members to consume their products. Fighting this epidemic will take governmental regulation, public education, aggressive parenting, and, yes, civil lawsuits. As with big tobacco, asbestos, surgical mesh, opioids, and other deadly and dangerous products, taking money from these industries was what truly changed their behavior. A civilized society cannot allow greed to overcome morals, ethics, and consciences.