Teens are Getting Hooked on Vaping
Many in Ireland and the world over have argued that vaping helps people addicted to tobacco smoking quit. This has been one of the major narratives pushing for the legalization of vaping devices around the world.
However, in Ireland, the opposite is happening. Teens are seeing vaping as a right of passage into adulthood. Katelyn Benson, 19, says “Half of the people I know who vape have never touched a cigarette in their lives.” while vaping products are designed to be used by recovering smokers a majority of their users are people who have never smoked in their lives.
According to Spunout, vaping is more attractive to teenagers than cigarette smoking ever was. This is particularly because vaping products are designed with endless flavors that are more appealing to young people. But most importantly the packaging is colorful and they don’t smell like tobacco. This makes it easy for teens to conceal them.
In Cork, a mother of a teenage son was surprised to discover that his son and some of his friends have been using vaping products despite being great athletes. She and several other parents are concerned about their kids vaping because they are yet to know the long-term health effects of the practice.
But it is not just the parent of the teens in Ireland who are concerned. Even members of the Irish Vape Vendors Association (IVVA) agree that there is a problem with teens taking on vaping. The association’s representatives agree that the association will not object to any proposal to raise the legal age for purchasing and using e-cigarettes to 21 years.
The managing director of Vapourpal, Joanne O’Connell agrees that while vaping is less harmful than smoking it still carries some health risks. She also agrees that while these products are designed to wean adults off tobacco, they tend to find their way into the hands of teens. This is a course of concern that even industry insiders agree that it needs to be addressed.
The good news to the concerned parent is that the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill (2019), the premier legislation governing this sector of the country, is under review. It is hoped that this legislation will be revised to make sure that businesses will have to get special licenses to sell e-cigarettes and will be required to police the age of the customers.
Already the HSE has been taking measures to protect citizens from the potentially harmful health impacts of vaping. Today Manufacturers and distributors of e-cigarettes and related products are required to report to the HSE any product they suspect to be unsafe for human use.
In May 2022, the HSE halted the sale of several Aroma King products for misleading customers about the amount of nicotine in them. More are expected in the coming months as studies carried out by the Health Research Board show that vaping among teens increases their risk of becoming tobacco smokers.
Ireland is not alone in seeking to tackle the growing vaping problem. The EU recently reported a 10% growth in the sale of vaping products across the region. This has the European Commission considering banning some of the products on sale in its effort to further reduce smoking.
