COVER STORY
Vaping and the culture surrounding it has infiltrated the adolescent social environment and poses serious problems in overall lack of awareness in mental and physical health consequences. This growing trend is much reflected in the relatively new marketing strategies of vaping companies targeting a young demographic. BY NEWS EDITOR MEG TRAVIS, FEATURE EDITOR KAITLIN JONES AND REPORTER MOLLY CONWAY
V
apes, e-cigarettes, Juuls, Phixes: regardless of the names they go by, vaping devices have grown to be a major presence and problem in adolescent populations. The upsurge in numbers of uneducated teenagers picking up these devices amid their marketed popularity is now posing brand new risks in health and development of addiction, according to a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The entire student body even attended a presentation Nov. 16 about the effects of vaping. Students Against Destructive Decisions senior co-presidents Mariah Lynn and Haley Ulowetz wanted to educate the student body about what’s in a pod and the effects of vaping. “After the presentation, I was surprised at the amount of students who were shocked with the effects from phixing,” Lynn said. “Many teachers sent Haley and I e-mails about how well we did. Overall I was happy with the presentation.” However, throughout the local community, the trend still persists.
HEALTH RISKS
When people pick up their vape to casually inhale and exhale they don’t realize what the vapors they are inhaling can do to their body.
14 LE JOURNAL
Teenagers in today’s society are normalizing the vape culture. Forty-three percent of people have used a vaping device before and eight percent of people have been in an environment with someone using one, according to a Le Journal poll. “There is kind of a normal experimental phase in the middle school, high school and young adult years which is one of the reasons that you have to be careful with what you are goofing around with,” pediatrician Dr. Rick Espe M.D. said. Vapes were originally intended as a temporary substitute for those giving up smoking cigarettes. The American Heart Association says that vapes should only be used as a last resource when giving up smoking. But the trend of vaping has infiltrated adolescents of today. “It’s just a way to expose your body to nicotine,” Espe said. “The kids that say they get a buzz from it, that buzz is from the nicotine, and that’s what makes the smokers keep buying cigarettes their whole life even though they know it’s bad for them they know they want to quit.” Regardless of the brand, all vaping devices work the same way. All vapes have containers filled with a liquid that contains a various amount of nicotine, flavorings, and chemicals. It also contains a heating device that converts the liquid into a vapor, which is what the user inhales. Not only ...Story continued on page 16