Research Paper on Vaping: From Cigarette Flops to Its Own as a Cigar

Introduction

It may sound like vaping has come from nowhere, but for decades now, tobacco and engineering firms have been working on alternatives to fuel cigarettes- and essentially flopping. You may have noticed what seemed like a cigarette back in the 2000s, to discover that the "lit" end was a battery-operated lamp. Or a few years ago, for a high-tech lighter or sleek USB drive, you might have confused a friend's Pax or Juul. (Were we ever so young?) But e-cigarettes have come into their own as a cigarette sales symbol in the last decade or so. Sales of e-vapour products and heated tobacco products (HTPs) rose a staggering 28 per cent from an estimated $8.4 billion to $27.6 billion between 2015 and 2018, according to Euro monitor. Vaping is the inhalation of vapour that has been developed by the e-cigarette.

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History of Vaping

The first person in the world to create smokeless non-tobacco cigar ate Herbert Gilbert in 1963. He was the first e - cigar ate patient. When interviewed why he invented vaping, he argued that it was out of curiosity. He wanted to find out if burning tobacco could be replaced by flavoured air. His idea was archived until 2003 when a medical researcher and a pharmacist from China name Lik Hon stepped in to find out if e- cigar ate could be produced. The death of his father motivated lik. His father was addicted to cigar ate to the extent that he developed lung cancer, until one day when he died because he could not reach out to his cigar rate which he could not live without, eventually leading to his death. Lik produced the vaporized form of nicotine liquid, and today, various types of vapour have been created.

Current Statistics On Teenagers Vaping

According to Safety and Health magazine article, how teens are vaping is alarming. Many wonders what these kids find attractive when they vape, but like any other kid who gets carried away by social media adverts and peer influence, many kids find American teens have found themselves in what could be described as 'vaping mania.' The number of teenagers who vapes has increased in 2019 more than any other period in history. Statistically, in Washington alone, there has been a shoot in the number of kids who vapes compared to other years. The latest report shows that high school teens are leading in vaping with an increase of 9 per cent from 2017 (Safety and Health ). According to a survey done by the University of Michigan, the percentage of 12th-grade learners who vapes increased significantly from 38.5 per cent in 2017 to 42.5 per cent in 2019 (Safety and Health). If these figures are real, it is evident that vaping is now an epidemic among teenagers. What is impressive is that most of the devices that these teenagers are using for vaping are nicotine-free. So the question has always been, why do they vape and what inspired them into vaping?

Why Teenagers Vape

Most teens vape because of either influence from social media advertisements or being lured by their peers. Today, technology has changed the world. Teens have been recorded to be endangered population when it comes to the usage of technology. Most social media sites contain glamourizing images with different hashtags such as '#Vape Life' with Instagram leading in these hashtags.

In my interview with one of a high school teenager about vaping, I realized that most teens vape because of influence from the media and peers. The teenager was 14-year-old. When asked when he started vaping, he responded that he began vaping while he was 11 years old, having been influenced by one of his friends. However, teenager recorded that he already knew about vaping through social media before encountering a friend who does it who later influenced him to it. So, he started vaping out of curiosity, to find out what lies in there. He currently vapes at least five times a day. He is still reluctant to quit considering that he has become addicted to it. When asked how he feels about vaping, in general, he noted that he really would like to quit, but he cannot do so at once since he has become addicted. He, however, longs for a day when he will finally stop. He has started withdrawing from vaping though.

Health Effects of Vaping

In her article, Lorna Gordon explicitly explains the dangers of vaping in human health. Vaping has serious health implications on the lives of both teenagers and adult. It causes addiction among teens because of nicotine, its primary agent. Also, it affects cognitive development among kids. Nicotine is a harmful product which may lower brain functioning of a teenager (Gordon n.p). This may, in turn, affects teenager's concentration in class, resulting in poor performance. Vaping also causes lung cancer. Like any other tobacco products like cigars, vaping can cause severe damage to a person's heart and ultimately breathing problems.

Government Regulation On Vaping

Government through the FDA has enacted laws that regulate vaping. However, the law restricts vaping among teenagers because of its harmful effect. FDA has been on the lookout and is now harsh on shops that sell vapours to teenagers.

My Thought and The Future Of Vaping

I feel disappointed to notice that many kids have joined in vaping. The rise of teenage vaping is astonishing. Vaping is wholly harmful to both teenagers and adults considering its health effects, and because of this, I would never let my child to vape. The government should take a warning stern on vaping and close all shops that would proceed with this business. Going with the figures, the future of vaping still looks green. In 5 to 25 years from now, many teens would be vaping at a higher rate than now considering that there are no explicit measures put in place to put to a stop teenage vaping.

Conclusion

Considering the health implications involved, vaping is scary for teenagers. Since many teenagers are involved in vaping, there is a likelihood that a significant number of them would transition to other cigarettes. As such, there is a need for the government and parent alike to stand out and say 'NO' to vaping, whatever it may take.

Works Cited

Gordon, Lorna. Vaping: What You Need to Know. Accessed 8th October 2019, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/e-cigarettes.html

Safety and Health. The number of teens vaping hits' record' high, survey shows. Accessed 8th October 2019, from https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/print/17921-number-of-teens-vaping-hits-record-high-survey-shows