Earlier this month, President Trump announced that the White House is going to work with the Federal Drug Administration to expel all non-tobacco kinds of e-cigarettes, including mint and menthol, from the market within 30 days. Though major vape companies such as Juul have released statements that they will comply with the new FDA regulations once they are official. However, the new worry is not how Trump’s war on vaping will affect companies, but how it will affect the many young adults who are currently addicted to nicotine.
E-cigarettes were created to help smokers quit easier, and thus pack a major hit of nicotine. The problem with non-smokers using these devices is that it is easier for them to become addicted to the nicotine in these products. Approximately forty percent of eighteen to twenty five year-olds vape roughly three times a week and sixty percent stated that they’ve tried it. The CDC is currently exploring an excess of 450 instances of lung illness authorities suspect were brought about by vaping. With over a million people hooked on these products, unhealthy alternatives are going to be the next best thing for them. This includes dipping tobacco, real-burn cigarettes, or finding off market vaping pods or juice.
These alternatives each come with their own list of negative health effects. Dipping tobacco can cause white or gray patches inside the mouth (leukoplakia) that can lead to cancer. It can also cause gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss. Cigarettes can cause a laundry list of cancers including: lung, mouth, bladder, kidney, stomach, liver, pancreas, and many more.
However the off-brand vape pods are the real scare. Since these aren’t regulated by any means, producers are free to put whatever they want into them. The producers only care about making a profit not about the health of their buyers. These juices may include gasoline, hard drugs such as heroin or morphine, or even random household oils. Though older populations are aware and cautious of this, it’s Gen Z vape users who need to read their warning labels. People as young as the age of 12 are starting to vape and, unfortunately, middle schoolers and high schoolers aren’t educating themselves about these potential dangers.
There might be a safer alternative. Nicotine pouches, such as Zyns, entered the market in 2017. The pouches are supposed to satisfy any need of nicotine by placing them between your mouth and gums like you would dipping tobacco. Though the product is in its early stages of use, so far there have been no adverse side-effects. However, as we’ve recently seen, “safer” alternatives are not necessarily safe, so please use caution with these products and use them only as they were intended to be used.
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