Vaping. You see it everywhere these days: offices, high schools (even middle schools), colleges, parks, clubs, golf courses, parking lots, bars, and any other public setting. E-cigarettes (what are they?) such as Juul have become an epidemic across the U.S. and the world.

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Kids as young as 12 years old “smoke” e-cigarettes and many admit to being addicted to vaping (see here). Which begs the question, how is it getting into their hands and how to stop it?

Federal law and many states in the U.S. have banned sales of e-cigarettes to minors, but regulations by the Food and Drug Administration are still new. Legislation for e-cigarette products is continual. Nevertheless, enforcement for underground sales is even newer and not on pace with the marketing campaigns of e-cigarette companies.

The disclaimer that appears on the package of each “pod” (similar to the one found on cigarette packs, warning of the addictiveness of nicotine) has not been a deterrent for the millions of customers under the age of 18 that use the devices. Juul advertisements on billboards also include it in large lettering.

Online job advertisements for the vaping industry mention the focus to avoid sales to minors. However, advertising tactics of e-cigarettes targeting the demographic has been wide.

References:

• Haute Beauty/MD: https://hauteliving.com/hautebeauty/staging/vaping-electronic-cigarettes-regular-cigarettes-differences-before-surgery/
• The Philadelphia Enquirer: https://www.inquirer.com/news/vaping-juul-e-cigarettes-health-effects-teens-addiction-20190928.html
• American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/report-more-and-more-teens-seeing-e-cigarette-ads.html