A New Epidemic

Over the last few months, a new health crisis has erupted among America’s youth; Federal Officials have stated recently that there have been over 1,300 cases with at least 26 deaths from the new epidemic of vaping. Many people, including Heath Officials, have been warning the public of the dangers that are present with vaping. The devices, originally designed to help adults quit smoking, have now become a recreational habit by teenagers. People are arguing that this is due to the flavors such as “Cotton Candy” and “Bubblegum” that are catching the eyes of young adults. Vaping has been on the market for over a decade now, but now illnesses and, more worryingly deaths, have began to appear in almost every state. On October 11th, the Center for Disease Control, or CDC, announced that the name for the lung illnesses will be called “EVALI”, which stands for “e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury”. According to The Washington Post, “Officials are still trying to figure out what, exactly, is causing people to fall ill”. Investigations are now underway into, the lung illness, mainly directed by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. The CDC states that they have, “not identified the cause or causes of the lung injuries in these cases, and the only commonality among all cases is that patients report the use of e-cigarette, or vaping, products.” Although there is no direct link as yet to the actual cause of the outbreak, many people who have been affected by the lung illness have reported using tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), containing products, one of the main ingredients in cannabis (CLICK HERE to learn more).

          With all of these new illnesses and discoveries coming to light, states and the national government are now looking to ban certain e-cigarette flavors, with the hope that it will prevent the youth from continuing the epidemic. Officials have also began putting in place new sale restrictions for stores and are advising people to keep their e-cigarettes away until they have located the direct cause of the illness. Some lawmakers have taken more immediate action; New York and Michigan have been the first states to initialize a ban on certain flavored products, after the continuing public health risk. What are your thoughts on the presence of e-cigarettes among the American youth? Among the negatives of e-cigarettes, do you believe there is a positive effect? Should flavored e-cigarettes be banned nationwide? Or should e-cigarettes in general be banned?