Vaping, Joshua Borges Vaping, Marina Cuffaro………………………………………………………………………302

Vaping

Joshua Borges

It would be fair to assume that many present day Canadian high school students have either partaken in vaping or have known a peer who has. The term ‘vaping’ refers to the utilization of an electronic cigarette, in which users inhale produced vapour into their lungs. An electronic cigarette, or ‘vape’ is a rechargeable handheld device that uses a heating element to aerosolize a liquid, which often contains nicotine, flavouring, and other harmful chemicals. Vaping was not always popular amongst adolescents. Historically, vaping was initially associated with tobacco smokers who switched to electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking. Vaping started to become popular within online communities when ‘tricks’ were being performed with the thick vapour, but the term vaping was still only associated with an obscure community. Electronic cigarettes have evolved over the years, moving from large and unsightly devices to small and sleek ones. This change, along with the appealing fruity flavouring the vape contains and the perceived ‘safety’ of electronic cigarettes, has brought upon a large cultural shift towards vaping amongst adolescents. Statistics Canada reports that 34% of students from grades 7-12 have tried vaping products (2022). Given that nearly one third of high school students have participated in vaping, the activity is a highly prevalent health-risk activity common amongst adolescents today. Vaping raises concerns about the peer and social pressures adolescents face during development. Despite never being explicitly marketed to youth for legal reasons, vaping has become a central aspect to social community for many adolescents. The trend of vaping has been able to spread so quickly due in part to adolescents longing for social acceptance. During

adolescence, it is common to experience self-esteem issues, and many seek external acceptance and approval amongst peers. Vaping offers an avenue for adolescents to achieve a level of containment and acceptance within their community. Vaping also reflects the great extents that adolescents will pursue to achieve a level of belonging. In Ontario, one must be over nineteen years of age to purchase electronic cigarettes. This means that adolescent ‘vapers’ must participate in illegal activity to acquire a vape. The inherent risks associated with both purchasing a vape and using it may be related to its popularity amongst youth, as risk-taking is often associated as a normal aspect of adolescent development. Vaping can be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of youth. Most electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance. The aerosolized liquid used in electronic cigarettes are filled with chemicals and carcinogens, and the long-term health consequences of vaping are not yet well established. Moreover, vaping electronic cigarettes could lead to adolescents experimenting with similar vape products that contain substances such as THC, the active drug found in marijuana. Being exposed to these drugs can be damaging to the developing brain. Misinformation about the safety of vaping has spread amongst adolescents, and the desire for social acceptance and belonging has led to the activity’s increasing popularity. Greater efforts to educate adolescents on the dangers of vaping may help prevent substance abuse issues from developing amongst the youth demographic. Learn more about vaping and adolescents: Teen Vaping: There is no vapour without fire https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxz137 Drug Free Kids Canada: https://www.drugfreekidscanada.org/prevention/issues/vaping/

References

Chadi, & Belanger, R. E. (2020). Teen vaping: There is no vapour without fire. Paediatrics &

Child Health, 25(6), 337–339. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxz137 https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/smoking-tobacco/vaping/canada.html Drug Free Kids Canada. (2022). Youth and vaping – a growing trend. https://drugfreekidscanada.org/prevention/issues/vaping/ Statistics Canada. (2022, March 31).Vaping in Canada: what we know. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/smoking-tobacco/vaping/canada.html Stauffer, B. (2019). Classroom vaping [Online image]. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/vaping-moves-from-the-bathroom-to-the-classroom11566293404

[Untitled illustration of vape in backpack]. (2020). UNC Health Talk. https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/what-you-need-to-know-about-your-teens-andvaping/

Vaping

Marina Cuffaro

Vaping is important to the study of adolescence and health due to its extreme usage and popularity over the past couple years. Vaping is the act or practice of inhaling an exhaling an atomizer, produced by a vaping product or device (Canada, 2022). Chinese pharmacist, Hon Lik invented the device as means to provide an alternative method to the conventional cigarette smoking (Choucair, 2022). Vaping devices contain nicotine, adolescences who have never smoked cigarettes are now forming a nicotine addiction due to the use of these devices. Vaping provides insight on youth experience due to its social phenomena and addictive substance. Adolescence is a complex period of time that influences many decisions, the social phenomena of vaping increases with more exposure to youth. The social influence around vaping contributes to the lingering effects and uprise of the matter, a blog called Versed Vaper highlights major celebrities that part-take in vaping such as, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry and even Lady Gaga (Barnes, 2022). Alongside these A-list celebrities, youth also see a rise of vaping in their demographical Youtubers and TikTokers, social media influencers that generate millions of views are seen vaping which coveys this desired commonality between youth and famous individuals. Influences from social media figures, A-list celebrities, even peer pressure from friends generate this desire to feel accepted and normal. Combining this social phenomenon with an addictive substance increases youth susceptibility to the harmful effects of nicotine. Vaping education and awareness are now being implemented within the grade 4 curriculum. This indicates that preventable measures and teachings are scaling to the brim of early adolescence as the susceptibility increases as youth grow older. Vaping relates to youth’s health and well-being due to the dangers associated of subject matter. The dangers of vaping within adolescences can be seen from the Government of Canada’s website, it states that young brains are still developing

well into their 20s; nicotine hinders and alters brain development which can affect memory, concentration, reduce impulse control, cognitive and behavioural difficulties and may predispose adolescences to other drugs (Canada, 2022). In Ontario, the legal age of purchasing vaping products is 19, therefore how are youth and teens that are underage obtaining these products? In my personal inquiries from underage co-workers, many state that they have a good relationship with the convenience store clerk that will sell them the products additionally, they have connections to older classmates or siblings that will sell them the disposable vaping devices or pods- flavoured cartridges that are placed into the device. Health Canada provided insight on youth aged 13-19 on their reasoning for vaping, the most common reasoning was curiosity, wide range of nice flavours, to fit in, looking cool, to reduce stress, and social influences (Canada, 2022). In conclusion, vaping is a social construct that formulates a desire to adhere to mainstream indulgence and curiosity. This social phenomenon combined with such and addictive substance like nicotine, highlights the importance of studying its current and long-term effects on adolescences, their health, well-being and development.

References

Barnes, R. (2022, April 10). 10 celebrities who vape: Stars and their setups. Versed Vaper. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://versedvaper.com/10-celebrities-who-vape/

Canada, H. (2022, January 7). Government of Canada. Canada.ca. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/smoking-tobacco/preventing/vaping.html

Canada, H. (2022, March 31). Government of Canada. Canada.ca. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/smoking-

tobacco/vaping.html?utm_campaign=hc-sc-vaping-prevention-2223&utm_medium=sem&utm_source=ggl&utm_content=ad-texten&utm_term=e+cigarette+information&adv=2223332652&id_campaign=18708742530&id_source=143204004855&id_content=630729349 083&gclid=CjwKCAjwh4ObBhAzEiwAHzZYU1ETivFNGCfjikjZkknILtvfcvTBtPHo4F RaqpDDkypjlmAdEcAB4BoCvisQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#a1

Choucair, B. (2022, September 13). e-cigarette. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/e-cigarette