{"id":53047,"date":"2019-06-16T17:43:56","date_gmt":"2019-06-16T17:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/?p=53047"},"modified":"2021-06-29T18:06:15","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T18:06:15","slug":"e-cigs-spark-problems-for-teens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/2019\/06\/16\/e-cigs-spark-problems-for-teens\/","title":{"rendered":"E-cigs spark problems for teens"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
\"\"\r\n
David Morgan, D & J Vapors manager, vaping.
Photo illustration by Ronald Wagner \/ Crossroads Preparatory School<\/em><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

By CHUCK LOGSDON
<\/strong>Henry Clay High School
By MAKAIO SMITH
<\/strong>Atherton High School<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Thomas, a recent high school graduate from St. Louis, is a habitual vaper. Like most teens, he took his first puff on an e-cigarette at the urging of a vaping friend.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

[She] \u201casked if I wanted to hit it,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI hit it and I got really buzzed.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Thomas\u2019 next step into the world of vaping was purchasing his own, which he bought from that same friend. His preferred brand is the Juul, the most popular e-cigarette among teens. Juul dominates the vape market, accounting for 75% of the market share, according to the Nielsen company.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

(Limited Edition, a product of Western Kentucky University\u2019s Xposure Journalism Workshop for high school students around the country, is using only the young people\u2019s first names to protect their privacy.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Juuls have a sleek USB-like design that makes them easy to conceal and use in places where they are not typically allowed, such as schools. Other popular vape brands include Phix, Smok and Boulder.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Juuls, like many other e-cigarettes, are often seen by smokers as a safer alternative to cigarettes. What smokers, especially teen smokers, are less likely to know is that the Juul company is financially linked to the nation\u2019s leading cigarette manufacturer, Altria. Altria owns many of the top cigarette brands, including Marlboro, and the top chewing tobacco companies, Copenhagen. Altria owns 35% of Juul after investing $12.8 billion in the company.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Atria and the companies it owns are considered a part of \u201cBig Tobacco,\u201d which is the term used to refer to the top producing tobacco companies. Big Tobacco has been accused of intentionally making their products more addictive, and marketing to more vulnerable consumers such as teenagers and lower-income, less-educated adults.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Although laws differ state to state, most restrict vape purchases to those 18 years old and up. In Kentucky, the legal age to purchase e-cigarettes is 18.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Like cigarettes, Juuls are sold in gas stations. Traditional vapes are only sold in licensed vape stores. Josh Polson, who works in a vape store in Bowling Green, said this is a large part of the problem with underage vaping. (Limited Edition is not identifying the store since Polson is not authorized to speak on behalf of the company.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cThe biggest problem comes down to Juuls not being sold in actual brick and mortar vape stores,\u201d Polson said. \u201cYou have so many gas stations that don\u2019t ID and don\u2019t check and also don\u2019t care where the products are going.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Many brick and mortar vape stores including the one where Polson works have more strict procedures for preventing vapes from getting into the hands of minors. Apart from checking ID, stores have other methods for keeping their products away from teens.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe can tell [if an adult is purchasing a vape for a minor] by the way they walk in. They\u2019re unsure of what they\u2019re getting, they\u2019re checking their phone a lot, they come in with a list, Polson said. \u201cWe take as many precautions as we can to try to prevent it from going to someone underage.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

With vapes and cigarettes both being vehicles for delivering nicotine, the biggest topic of discussion is usually comparing the two.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse practitioner and certified tobacco treatment specialist Julia Steed has expertise in both cigarettes and vapes. She sees underage use of both being problematic but sees different problems arising in teen use.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cThe biggest difference between the two is that, if you can keep someone away from nicotine until their mid to late 20s, then they will tend to avoid it for life,\u201d Steed said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0\u201cSo with e-cigarettes it\u2019s easier to get away with it at a younger age than even 17 or 18\u2026 although the harm is less [with e-cigs] younger people are putting themselves at risk by using those e-cigarettes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The increase in teen vaping is commonly attributed to the trendy nature of the vapes or the sleek design of the Juul. However, this is not always the case. Unlike Thomas, some teens are often drawn to vapes due to serious underlying issues.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI was struggling with some really terrible anxiety, panic attacks, just anxiety altogether, said 18-year-old Jake Anderson of Evansville, who started vaping without smoking cigarettes first.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI went to the doctor and I got prescribed anxiety medication for it and it didn\u2019t help,\u201d he said. \u201cI decided to just try whatever I could\u2026so I ended up getting [a vape] with the lowest amount of nicotine juice and it helped me and it still helps me a lot.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Thomas, who started vaping for fun, said the habit has helped him with his attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI have ADHD so I\u2019m always doing something,\u201d he said, \u201cand it\u2019s given me a really good way to calm the nerves and sort of calm me down.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Despite the calming effects, Steed said, vaping can lead to a plethora of lung diseases that restrict airflow, mouth and throat irritation, cardiovascular issues such as raised blood pressure and increased heartbeat. The nicotine in e-cigs can also cause anxiety.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

That being said, vaping does help many people quit cigarettes. A study conducted by Harvard Medical School found that vaping is 8% more effective than nicotine replacement therapy such as nicotine patches or nicotine gum. However, vaping is not helpful in quitting nicotine as 80% of those who quit with vapes continued to vape after the study. Only 9% of those in the nicotine-replacement group continued to use their nicotine products.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201c[Vapes] can be an alternative to help people stop smoking,\u201d Steed said. \u201cIt can be a benefit. It\u2019s one of our harm reduction techniques when we\u2019re counseling people to stop smoking cigarettes. It is less harmful than cigarettes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

David Morgan, manager of D&J Vapor in Bowling Green, used e-cigarettes to quit smoking cigarettes. He attributed vaping to becoming healthier.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI\u2019ve smoked for 15 years, I\u2019ve been off cigarettes for almost four,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cI feel 10 times better than I did when I smoked.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Jake Finer, a St. Louis high school graduate, does not vape. Although many of his underage friends do, he tried it but decided it was not for him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like the way nicotine makes me feel,\u201d Finer said. \u201cIt makes me feel nauseous, it gives me a headache and it increases my anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Finer does not approve of his friends\u2019 vaping habits and feels they do not fully understand what they are doing to their bodies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI think [my friends] are na\u00efve,\u201d Finer said. \u201cI feel like [vape companies] are taking advantage of the lack of knowledge and are providing false advertising.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is the reality for many teens. Awareness is low, and sales are high. Finer said he doesn\u2019t see any significant health problems or mental problems among his friends that vape but the dependence on nicotine vaping develops.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI see a lot of withdrawals if they don\u2019t have their nicotine,\u201d Finer said. \u201cI see a lot of my friends becoming agitated, becoming nervous and super tense if they don\u2019t have their nicotine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Ron Wagner of St. Louis, Noah Grebe of Louisville and Abby Adams-Smith of Bowling Green contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By CHUCK LOGSDON Henry Clay High SchoolBy MAKAIO SMITHAtherton High School Thomas, a recent high school graduate from St. Louis, is a habitual vaper. Like most teens, he took his first puff on an e-cigarette at the urging of a vaping friend.\u00a0 [She] \u201casked if I wanted to hit it,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI hit it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,464],"tags":[],"staff_name":[],"class_list":["post-53047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-x19"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53047"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252109,"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53047\/revisions\/252109"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53047"},{"taxonomy":"staff_name","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wkuxposure.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff_name?post=53047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}