By Tina Vlamis and Matthew Pumarejo
We are growing up as teenagers with something that no one else had before us: instant access to information. So why is it, that when faced with a new trend, such as E-cigs, we are all too willing to shell out our money, without researching beyond what companies are trying to tell us?
The intended purpose of e-cigs was to help cigarette smokers end their smoking habits. However, if one stumbles upon a website for an e-cig company, such as Eversmoke, they may question who these e-cig companies are truly trying to target.
The website is colorful, sleek, helpful, and complete with step by step directions on how to use the e-cigs. E-cigs come in many enticing flavors such as Nuts Over Caramel Apples, Cola Blast, Double Espresso, and a lot more. There is even a flavor interestingly dubbed ¨Unicorn Milk.¨
It seems as though this strategic marketing is working, because, despite the law that one must be 18 or older to purchase e-cigs, 13% of e-cig users are high school students, according to the Huffington Post.
Chris Anderson, a health teacher at Woodland, is not surprised e-cig companies are vying for the attention of teenagers.
¨The bottom line is, theses companies are trying to get teenagers addicted to nicotine when they are young so they will be customers for life,¨ said Anderson.
Developing an addiction to nicotine is no joke. E-cig kits give you the option of how many milligrams of liquid nicotine to put in your E-cig in increasing amounts, such as 6 milligrams, 12 milligrams , and 24 milligrams. Using the smallest amount of nicotine however, does not, in any way, reduce your risk of getting addicted to nicotine. Any amount can leave you craving another fix, until you are eventually increasing the dosage of nicotine you will use.
Avid e-cig users may be under the impression that vaping merely relaxes them- but the “relaxation” they experience after using is merely their nicotine craving being fulfilled. If you are craving using your e-cig and feel relieved after you do, you may already be addicted.
Nicotine is proven to cause many health issues, but some still may not be convinced. Due to the concept of smoking e-cigs being relatively new, there are not studies about the long-term effects on users. This causes students to believe there is truly no harm in inhaling.
To students who scoff at the idea of E-cigs being harmful, Anderson has some advice, ¨Do your research on nicotine- that’s what you’re getting addicted to. Nicotine results in increased blood pressure and causes heart disease- those are proven facts.¨
Students should also consider that the companies claiming E-cigs are not harmful are the same companies that are trying to get teenagers using their product. E-cigs are not regulated by the FDA yet, and until there are restrictions put on how they can be advertised, marketing to teenagers is fair game.
Companies may attempt to convince teenagers that E-cigs pose no threat to us. However, with no long-term studies of the effects done, in addition to the knowledge that the nicotine in the E-cigs could cause a lifetime addiction, will you really believe them?
Tina is the Executive Social Media Director, and in charge of managing Hawk Headlines. She has spent three full semesters here, and is heavily involved with theater. Tina describes herself as a "pop culture aficionado".
