Eva Gould

Journalism 1

11/9/18

What is the FDA going to do about vaping?

On November 8, 2018, The FDA spoke to The Wall Street Journal about their upcoming plans for limiting sales on flavored e-cigarettes. They state in the article, “The move is an attempt to curb what many are saying is an epidemic of underage vaping.”

Being a teenager and seeing my friends experiencing this up close has made me realize that something needs to change. I have done much research on this topic and the facts that people don’t know about what this is doing to their bodies and how clueless they are about it is just astonishing. In my research I have found that one juul pod is worth a whole package of cigarettes, and a lot of people don’t know this. If people weren’t so blind to the facts then there would definitely be less of a problem.

One of my friends once told me “I’ll stay with you forever like popcorn lung in a seventh grader”. This is the perfect example of why it is important to do your research before trying any kind of substance that could potentially be harmful to you. Popcorn lung is inflammation in your lungs caused by a chemical called diacetyl. Diacetyl is a chemical that is used to give butter, and other food flavors to products like vapes or even popcorn.

Moving on, the FDA plans to put a ban on all flavored e-cigarettes except for the classic menthol ones for medical uses. They are also reaching out to some of the sites that you can buy vapes and e-cigarettes on, and they are asking that they put better age requirement tests on their sites so that it is harder for kids to buy them online.

Some might ask why it is important, and the answer is simple. Not only is it extremely unhealthy for a teen to vape while their brain is still developing but it is also affecting schools. When in school, there is a certain set of rules everyone must follow, and it is common sense that you can not have any kind of vaping device or substance in your possession while in school. When kids bring vapes into school and they have them with them, they feel the need to use them. I have personally watched many people I know get suspended, get banned from sports teams, or even have to do community service hours cleaning the school because they have gotten in trouble for vaping on school grounds too many times.

So my hope is that with time things will change. People will become more educated about what they are doing, flavored e-cigarettes will be completely banned from stores, and websites where you can by them will have better age requirement tests.