I hope that I have shed some light on the issue of vaping, whether it be teen vaping or just vaping as a whole. Through all the research and finding out more on the issue at hand I have begun my journey to quit vaping all together and hope to complete this goal soon. If you have any questions regarding the issue feel free to ask me by commenting or in person.
People Are Still Vaping
Many people across the country as well as in the world are continuing to use vaping products and e-cigarettes. Despite many campaigns and all the controversy. This may be due to the fact they are either addicted or could care less about everything that is going on, revolving around vaping itself. People who vape are still capable of buying products that are flavored as well as other vaping products as well. The CDC warns the public to stop, and if that isn’t possible to only buy products that are regulated and reliable. They urge everyone to stay away from illegal and black market products.
Taking Action
State governments as well as the Federal government have been taking many actions to try and put a stop on teen vaping. Many bans have been put in place, like JUUL not being allowed to produce flavored pods anymore as well as raising taxes on E-cigarettes all together. These are the first major steps at putting an end to this issue of illness and deaths, but will the consumers and the public be okay with these new laws being brought in about the issue> Many people are arguing that if vapes and E-cigarettes are being banned as well as being raised in price, there should be similar actions being taken on cigarettes and big tobacco too.
The True Cause of illness
After well developed research, as stated in my last post, the CDC has came to the conclusion that the cause of the illness related to vaping is a toxic chemical known as Vitamin E acetate. This chemical has been known to be used in illegal or black market marijuana vaping cartridges in order to fill and create a less viscous liquid within the THC(The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) vaping products. I have seen many of my friends and those close to me use these products the same way they would use a juul or conventional E-cigarette. Although we still don’t know the long term effects of using regular vapes and E-cigarettes, it is still re-assuring to know that the main cause isn’t nicotine vapes but rather marijuana cartridges.
New Name For The Illness
As the crisis moves forward there are many things the CDC has been trying to figure out when it comes to vapes all together. Within the past month a cause has been pin pointed as to what is causing the illness from vaping. The CDC has named the disease EVALI(E-cigarette and Vaping Associated Lung Illness), after the amount of patients being brought in reaches over 1,500 and the death toll has reached over 33. The main ingredient that has been found within the patients being diagnosed is Vitamin E acetate which is an extremely harmful chemical being used within the liquid. The chemical is causing major irritation of the lungs and blocking off the airways and the areas of the lungs that absorb oxygen for distribution around the body. Teens need to be more careful as to where they get products from, or quit all together!!!
The Appeal To Teens
I myself used to Vape frequently, although due to the recent controversy I am attempting to quit all together. The reason i began to vape was because it was a cool and rebellious thing to do with my friends after school when we were bored. The flavors tasted great and the smoke that was blown out was as milky and white as clouds. It was fun to do tricks like blowing O’s. I think the reason kids and teens picked up vaping is because it was regarded as a safe alternative to combustible cigarettes, it tasted great and looked really cool. In my experience in the beginning i wasn’t addicted and only did it for fun. I started to get addicted when I bought my first JUUL. The reason i bought it was because it was a smaller and more convenient way to vape without getting caught by a teacher or my parents. This led to addiction because of the immense amount of nicotine in the JUUL pods themselves. This was an amount i never tried before and it caused me to get hooked almost right away, and i believe this is why most teens are getting hooked on vaping.
Hard to Pin Point one Cause
The officials that are trying to get to the bottom of this ongoing vaping issue are having a lot of trouble finding one major cause of the illness itself. This is a result of the immense amount of products that are in the vaping industry. Some of these products include; JUUL, MYLE, SMOK NOVO, as well as other nicotine delivering devices and various illicit black market THC cartridges and even legal and regulated dispensary distributed THC and CBD cartridges. Due to a very saturated market it is hard for the government to single out one product on its own. The officials behind the investigation are urging the public to never use bootleg/black market products purchased off the street, and if they are unable to stop vaping then they need to only use legal products from local distributors and vape shops. Although the best way to better your odds of not contracting the vaping illness is to quit all together.
The Effects the Illness is Having
Many people have been hospitalized over the course of the last three months as a result of the mysterious illness linked to vaping. The CDC has released some symptoms that if you are experiencing them you should be checked by a medical official as soon as possible. These symptoms include but are not limited to: cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, or weight loss. The CDC has said that if you are experiencing these symptoms, and have not stopped vaping due to addiction, it is possible you may have the mysterious illness linked to vaping.
Reports are Flooding in Across The U.S
Since August of 2019 the reports of teens and adults that are experiencing respiratory problems from vaping has risen exponentially. The number of people with said illness is currently at approximately 1,300, where as the death toll is currently at 26 people ranging from ages 17 to 35. This is a serious crisis within our country and more research is needed in order to point a particular cause of this mysterious illness. People across the country are coming forward about their various symptoms and are suffering as a result of the illness. The CDC and FDA have issued a warning to stop vaping THC and CBD products, due to them most likely being the main cause of the illness. Only 16% of reported people said they haven’t smoked marijuana vape products and only nicotine, showing that the main cause of this mysterious illness is black market THC and CBD cartridges.
Introduction
Through this site I plan to shed some light on the recent controversy revolving around the vaping related illness outbreak. There have been many reports across the country within the last three months of the outbreak and it is leaving health officials as well as government officials scrambling for a direct cause of the illness. The officials working on the various reports and even deaths cannot quite pinpoint a direct cause yet but are working on it. Many of the officials believe these outbreaks are the result of black market THC cartridges and fake nicotine pods for the JUUL and other pod based systems.