Bridges 1

Sydney Bridges

Mrs. Amy Hancock

English-102

27 March 2019

Should the Minimum Age for the Use of Vapes and Electronic Cigarettes be Raised to Age

Twenty-One?

It has become apparent that the use of electronic cigarettes has drastically increased

among teenagers. In 2018, the CDC showed “a 78 percent increase in vaping by high school

students, with 3.6 million high school and middle school students now using e-cigarettes” (Fox).

Teenagers are always trying to find the most popular, trendy thing to latch onto, and this time it

just so happens to be something that is extremely dangerous and harmful to the body. Not

knowing what to expect, I went into my freshman year of college and was blindsided by the

openness of the use of tobacco and alcohol products. I fell into peer pressure and tried an

electronic cigarette for the first time. Unfortunately, I got addicted to using it. By posting videos

on my social media, I had some of my high school friends ask me if I would buy one for them

because I am of the legal age to buy electronic cigarettes. Reflecting on my experiences is what

sparked my interest in doing research about the age limit for buying and using electronic

cigarettes. Some would argue that because the age of eighteen is considered an adult, then that

should be the minimum age to buy electronic cigarettes. Despite the fact that it is legal to buy

cigarettes at the age of eighteen, the age for the use of vapes and electronic cigarettes should be

raised to age twenty-one because it decreases the chances of middle and high schoolers using

them.
 Bridges 2

E-cigarettes or vapes are handheld devices that consist of a cartridge filled with

“vegetable glycerin-based liquid with nicotine, flavoring, and other chemicals and metals” that

are heated by a component that is powered by a battery (Richter). Vaping is “the act of inhaling

and exhaling the aerosol” that comes from e-cigarettes or vapes (Richter). The ability to do vape

tricks such as blowing out different shapes with the smoke has lured teenagers into using these

products. Teenagers will also have different competitions like who can inhale the smoke the

longest or who can puff out the biggest smoke cloud. Over the years, e-cigarettes have evolved

into hundreds of different types and brand names. Some examples of the different brands are

“blue, Juul, Logic, MarkTen XL, and Vuse” (Simon). According to an article in The Times

newspaper, the most popular brand that was created in June 2015 was Juul (HOLY SMOKE!

WHY TEENAGERS ARE ADDICTED TO VAPING). In July 2018, “the company’s value

[was] at $16 billion,” and it “has captured 71 percent of the American e-cigarette market in three

short years” (HOLY SMOKE!). Juul has made flavors for e-cigarettes such as mango, crème

brûlée, and fruit, that are intriguing to teenagers. Juul made these flavors to attract people that are

addicted to smoking cigarettes, but it has only had a negative impact by attracting more teenagers

than it has adults who smoke cigarettes (HOLY SMOKE!). Another key factor that contributes to

teenagers using Juuls is that they look very similar to a thumb drive, which makes them easy to

hide in schools, homes, cars, and anywhere they want (HOLY SMOKE!). Juul has “been

dubbed the iPhone of e-cigarettes” because they are just the popular thing to have and use among

teens and some adults (HOLY SMOKE!). What people do not realize is that one Juul pod, which

lasts about two days, is the equivalent of twenty cigarettes (Olson).

The first electronic cigarette ever created was designed in 2003 by Hon Lik, a pharmacist

from China (Choucair). According to the CASAA (Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free
 Bridges 3

Alternatives Association), he created it because his father died of lung cancer from smoking

cigarettes, so he tried to make a better option for those that are addicted to the nicotine in regular

cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes were created “to serve as an alternative to conventional

smoking,” and they are supposedly better for people than regular cigarettes (Choucair). Dr.

Danielsen brings to attention that advertisements claim that vaping is just “harmless water

vapor,” however, it is quite obvious that any form of smoking is not harmless. While electronic

cigarettes may seem better for people now, the long-term effects are still unknown, and they may

actually be worse than regular cigarettes. It was a great idea of the founders to try to come up

with a way for people to stop smoking cigarettes, however, they did not think about the

consequences of creating something so attractive to teenagers. Also, in today’s world it is very

unlikely that an eighteen year is addicted to cigarettes. If the reason electronic cigarettes were

created was to stop the addiction to cigarettes, then why is the age limit so low? It should be

raised to the age of people who have been smoking for years.

Even though the long-term effects of vaping are unknown, we do know the immediate

effects that it causes and how terrible it is for the body. Putting harmful chemicals into the body

can cause many different types of damage, especially in the young developing bodies of

teenagers. The most obvious type of damage is to the lungs. Inhaling the vapor of the electronic

cigarettes can make the lung’s cells “vulnerable to dust, bacteria, and allergens that might lead to

incurable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)” (Reinberg). The immune system of

those who vape is weakened causing the lungs to not be able to fight off bacteria (Reinberg). A

weakened immune system causes people to be more susceptible to viruses, and chemicals in the

vape juice can cause lung cancer (Reinberg). Another type of damage that can occur is the

possible risk of nicotine poisoning which can be toxic if too much gets into the bloodstream
 Bridges 4

(McInerny). For example, when I was in high school, one of my friends drank half a bottle of

vape juice not knowing the seriousness of doing so. He had to go to the hospital because he

could not stop vomiting, and the doctor told him it was nicotine poisoning. The last type of

damage that e-cigarettes cause to the body is addiction, which is classified as a brain disease. Not

only can people become addicted to the nicotine found in the vape juices, but they can also

develop a habit of smoking them at certain times of the day which is a form of addiction

(Danielsen). Addiction is very serious and can be a long painful process when trying to

overcome it. However, according to Schmidt, “addiction science has shown that if substances

like nicotine can be kept away from young people until the ages of 21 to 25, then the likelihood

of addiction is much lower.” In other words, if electronic cigarettes are kept out of the hands of

teenagers, then the possibility of them becoming addicted to nicotine is a lot less likely to occur.

There are many regulations that have been set to keep electronic vapor products out of

the hands of young teenagers, but none of them seem to be effective. For example, it is illegal for

adults to buy or give these tobacco products to minors, however, it still happens (Simon). Just

like in my case, I had friends of mine that are in high school asking me to buy Juuls for them

because I was old enough. That would have been totally illegal on my part, and I recognized that,

so I did not do it. However, there are so many young adults that are put in the same position, but

they follow through with it in order to please their friends. Also, it is illegal for kids to buy

electronic cigarettes and vapes, but they still do through online sources (Simon). One click of a

button or tap of the finger on certain websites to agree that they are twenty-one or older, and they

are well on their way to buying the product of their choice. It should not be that easy for a young

teenager to buy a tobacco-containing product. Another regulation that has taken place is the

restriction of the sales of certain flavors (Simon). This ban did not last long at all because adults
 Bridges 5

were complaining that their favorite flavor had been taken away (Olson). Some believe that the

legal age for buying electronic cigarettes should stay the same because they see how it has

helped those who had previously been addicted to cigarettes. An example of this idea is that the

founders of Juul stated, “We’ve converted one million smokers away from cigarettes who aren’t

going back. And that means half a million people have done something extraordinary” (HOLY

SMOKE!). While this is a great thought, the outcome is the same in the short run whether a

cigarette or an electronic cigarette is smoked.

In conclusion, there is enough evidence to prove that electronic cigarettes have a

negative impact on teenagers, and the age limit for the use of electronic cigarettes should, in fact,

be raised to age twenty-one. The fact that the chemicals in electronic cigarettes are harmful to the

body should be enough reason for the FDA to make stricter rules to raise the legal age limit to

buy and smoke electronic cigarettes to at least twenty-one. What I found throughout my research

is that there are a lot of people with the same feelings and opinions that I have regarding the

topic of vaping. People recognize the issue, but no one will address it. Many attempts to set up

laws and bans have been made, such as taking away the inviting flavors or not allowing people to

smoke vapes in public places, but none of the bans will suffice. As mentioned before, if someone

younger than the age of twenty-one smokes, they are more likely to become addicted to it. Most

middle and high schoolers know someone that is eighteen years old, but not many are close

enough friends with a twenty-one-year-old to ask them to buy an electronic cigarette for them.

Therefore, I believe that the age limit for the use of vapes and electronic cigarettes should be

raised to age twenty-one. While it may not eliminate the problem of having teenagers and young

adults using them, raising the age limit could help the situation in a drastic way.
 Bridges 6

Works Cited

“A Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes.” CASAA, 2012-2019.

www.casaa.org/historical-timeline-of-electronic-cigarettes/.

Choucair, Bechara. “E-Cigarette.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,

1 Feb. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/e-cigarette.

Danielsen, Randy D. “Vaping: Are Its ‘Benefits’ a Lot of Hot Air?” Clinician Reviews, vol. 26,

no. 6, June 2016, pp. 15–16. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-emm1.galileo.usg.edu/login?

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=116397944&site=eds-

live&scope=site.

Fox, Maggie. “FDA restricts all flavored e-cigarettes; moves to ban menthol.” NBC News,

15 Nov. 2018, www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-restricts-all-flavored-e-

cigarettes-moves-ban-menthol-n936471.

“Holy Smoke! Why Teenagers Are Addicted to Vaping.” Times, The (United Kingdom), Sept.

2018, p. 12-19. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-emm1.galileo.usg.edu/login?

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=7EH141714603&site=eds-

live&scope=site.

McInerny, Thomas K., and American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics

Textbook of Pediatric Care. Vol. 2nd edition, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2017.

EBSCOhost, proxygsu-emm1.galileo.usg.edu/login? search.ebscohost.com/login. aspx?

direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1292523&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Olson, Tod. “The Truth about Vaping.” Scholastic Action, vol. 42, no. 2, Oct. 2018, pp. 4–7.

EBSCOhost, proxygsu-emm1.galileo.usg.edu/login? search.ebscohost.com/

login.aspx?direct=true&db=fth&AN=131756799&site=eds-live&scope=site.
 Bridges 7

Reinberg, Steven. “Vaping May Shut Off Lungs' Protective Cells.” WebMD, HealthDay,

14 Aug. 2018, www.webmd.com/lung/copd/news/20180814/study-vaping-may-shut-off-

lungs-protective-cells#1.

Richter, Linda. “What is Vaping?” Center on Addiction, Oct. 2018,

www.centeronaddiction.org/e-cigarettes/recreational-vaping/what-vaping.

Schmidt, Caitlin. “Minimum Age to Buy Tobacco, e-Cigarettes in Tucson Could Be Raised to

21.” Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, AZ), 7 Aug. 2018, EBSCOhost, proxygsuemm1.

galileo.usg.edu/login? search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=

2W6592240150&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Simon, Stacy. “FDA Proposes Regulations as Teen E-Cigarette Use Skyrockets 78% in 1 Year.”

American Cancer Society, Nov. 21, 2018, https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/fda-

proposes-regulations-as-teen-e-cigarette-use-skyrockets-78-percent-in-1-year.html.