Smoke and Mirrors: Controversy over Electronic Cigarette Regulation

The popularity of e-cigarettes and vapes has grown exponentially within the last couple of years. These two alternatives offer a “safe” way to consume nicotine or just a substitute to regular cigarette smoking. These products omit water vapor instead of tobacco smoke, constructing it as less of a health risk. Nicotine can be added to the mixture to help quit smoking or offer a healthier option to those with nicotine dependence. There has not been widespread research on conventional e-cigarettes, in addition to data on vapes been relatively premature. These smoking devices have not be regulated by the FDA yet, but the FDA has looked into e-cigarettes and its contents (FDA, 2015). Many e-cigarettes that are thought to be free of nicotine, have

Teens are smoking e-cigs and something needs to be done. One “pod” promises the amount of nicotine equal to an entire pack of conventional cigarettes. E-cigs are easy to hide and come in a variety of flavors. The Food and Drug Administration decided to hold off on implementing an already finalized rule that would regulate e-cigarettes. Postponing a regulation on e-cigs is a mistake.

In the 1960’s something out of the ordinary came about in the American market. It was when electronic cigarettes were created, they were not very known until twelve years later. Electronic cigarettes are called e-cigarettes which are operated nicotine inhalers (Neporent). In today’s world, many people under the age of 18 use e-cigarettes. That’s why I think the government should increase the restrictions on e-cigarettes.

A major issues we face today is how un-informed people are on the vaping world also known as e-cigarettes. For that I have chosen an article called America’s vaping revolution: How suspicious should we really be of the e-cigarette craze by Noah Charney posted on Sunday, Dec 7th, 2014. This article is about what e-cigarettes are, where they came from and their uses and effects that they can cause. I’m choosing this article because vaping (smoking E-cigarettes) is something that not a lot of people understand. Some people believe it is bad for you and that it won’t help stop smoking and that it can still cause health issues. Other things include the cost; some say it cost less than cigarettes and should e-cigs not be allowed in certain places. Most people are not informed about vaping on if it’s truly harmful or not they just assume it’s the same as smoking a cigarettes and that’s all it is but over the years it has changed a lot.

The profitable business of electronic cigarettes has raised over $3 Billion dollars annually, vastly spread across over 466 brands which have joined the ordeal. Above all, known as a “gateway drug”, electronic cigarettes have claimed the once-ordinary lives of people, specifically to those who have turned from tobacco cigarettes. What is more, scientists have determined that not enough research has been executed to automatically assume the healthiness of e-cigarettes. Despite this, many have claimed that e-cigarettes, are, and will be the new “healthy” drug, so to speak. Provided that e-cigarettes do not release harmful smoke, they are still not safe for one’s health given that not enough research has been performed on them.

“In 2009, 8.2% of middle school students and 23.9% of high school students reported current use of any tobacco product, and 5.2% of middle school students and 17.2% of high school students reported current use of cigarettes” (CDC, Tobacco Use, Para. 5). Tobacco products are always going to be accessible to the kids of the nation. But e-cigs are still only for men and women above the age of 18, and I.D. is required to purchase anything related to the products. I questioned 50 people who use e-cigs or e-cig products if they ever felt the desire to smoke a regular cigarette since they began using a vape. Out of 50, 36 said that they have never felt the desire to smoke a cigarette, and they didn’t get any nicotine in the juice they used. 10 of the 50 stated that they would rather use their vape, but sometimes they crave a cigarette. The other 4 said that they would rather have a cigarette but are quitting. Some even stated that they use their vape as an excuse to not smoke. They don’t feel as pressured to smoke whenever they are able to use the e-cigs around smokers. Most people who have smoked their entire lives and decided to quit and start vaping usually start out at a high level of nicotine then slowly work their way down to lower levels. “We followed 477 users of electronic cigarettes during one month and 367 users over one year. 22% had stopped smoking after one month and 46% after one year.

The FDA is going to kill a industry of young and old entrepreneurs. They are trying to pass bills to ban Electronic cigarettes also known as "vapes". Vape culture has help hundreds of tobacco user to quit nicotine and prevent them from putting the hundreds of cancer causing chemicals found in tobacco.

As with other such technologies, e-cigarettes don’t neatly fit into regulatory niches. The federal government is struggling to understand how to regulate e-cigarettes and, sadly, is on the verge of making a harmful first step with the FDA’s proposed rules. E-cigarettes are not tobacco products and should not be regulated as such E-cigarettes are a boon for public health because they help smokers quit using cigarettes

Should the government regulate E-cigarettes?E- Cigarettes are bad for you and cause harm to your body. E-cigarettes can kill you or you child if the get ahold of the “juice.” The E-cigarettes can last up to 72 hours and with one cigarette it will only up to five minutes or shorter. Even though some people may think that they are better for you but they are actually wrong the “Juice” makes people/kids think that they are not harmful because of the name of what the “juice” is called. Almost 480,00 died because of cigarettes/ one regular cigarette.

In conclusion, more Americans need to be aware of the dangers of e-cigs including their addictive levels of nicotine, and harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. Thedailybeast addressed the dangerous of e-cigs to not only the user, but other in this statement ,”Outside the risk of exposure to cancer-causing agents, e-cigarettes have been shown to prove dangerous to kids.” This shows that the dangers caused by e-cigs can indirectly harm others, and is posing as a threat to the user's health and can act as a bad influence toward the youth. This is why americans need to relook at how safe e-cigarettes

As FDA analysis indicated, e-cigarettes contain the same toxic substances and carcinogens found in traditional cigarettes, which contradicts the statement made by e-cigarette advocates that e-cigarettes are safer. Recently, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that about 47.1 percent of the cigarette and e-cigarette exposure-calls to poison control centers are now due to e-cigarettes (Kucinich, 2014). Therefore, I do not think it is reasonable to promote e-cigarettes to the public as safer alternatives to traditional tobacco cigarettes, let alone smoking cessation aids. Additionally, health experts have repeatedly mentioned that e-cigarettes maybe potential gateway drugs for many individuals, particularly the young. Pepper and colleagues (2013) reported that nearly 1 in 5 adolescent males in their study were willing to try e-cigarettes if offered to them; and being a smoker increased the willingness to try e-cigarettes. As teens are highly inclined to try e-cigarettes, extensive public promotion of e-cigarettes may mislead them into thinking that e-cigarettes are safe to use. The false claim may even spark teenagers’ curiosity and motivate them to try e-cigarettes and other tobacco products haphazardly. It is highly likely that the effort to promote smoke cessation through e-cigarettes could create an entirely new problem: e-cigarette abuse in teens. Overall, I take the stand against e-cigarettes. I

Many people smoke e-cigarettes instead of regular cigarettes because they think they are a safe alternative. There is less smoke and they taste good! So they must be ok, right? Well that’s not so true. The chemical diacetyl is found in 75% of e-cigarettes. This chemical is linked to respiratory disease. It’s also the chemical that is used to flavor the smoke from your e-cigarettes taste good. In some States teens as young as sixteen are able to buy e-cigs from gas station in my opinion i think it's illegal to let teens buy e-cigarettes they can get lung disease known as popcorn lung

As stated by Eleanor Roosevelt, “One 's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” Everybody has a myriad choices in life. Some choices are better than others, and some are the worst choices one could have possibly chosen. The choices of one may work in one’s favor, or one’s choices may work in contrariety of one’s goals altogether. Electronic cigarettes, also called e-cigarettes or e-cigs, are an alternative choice to smoking actual cigarettes. Whether e-cigarettes should be regulated is a controversial topic among the people of the world today. A few people withhold the beliefs that electronic cigarettes should not be regulated as regular cigarettes are. It is possible that they believe that the regulation will lead to the prohibition or cease of smoking wholly. However, speaking as a candor person, one may say that these people are blind to the potential harms that the lack of regulation could create and that the lack of regulation may actually be causing electronic cigarettes to work in opposition of the purpose they are mostly used for. E-cigarettes are proven to not to have the same detrimental effects as regular cigarettes, however they are potently harmful, with different and serious consequences. The regulations would not be banning electronic cigarettes; the regulations are working to protect the health and well-being of everyone.

The lack of regulation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on electronic cigarette products is creating a desire for state and local governments to enact laws aimed to address their usage (Balakit, 2014). In Maryland, House Bill 0026, Clean Indoor Air Act – Use of Electronic Smoking Devices – Prohibition, was intended to make the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), “battery-operated devices that contain nicotine cartridges and other chemicals,” illegal in public places (Subramaniam, 2015, p. 2). This would be consistent with the 2007 legislation that prohibited the use of traditional cigarette or other tobacco products that elicit smoke in public places. On February 11, 2015, the Economic Matters Committee heard both

E-cigarettes have heating elements that are battery operated and hold cartridges of nicotine and other liquids and flavoring. They were produced to assist those who are trying to quit smoking or reduce the amount of nicotine that is actually inhaled in the body to make it a safer product for the consumer than actually smoking a cigarette. There is controversy on whether or not this product promotes a safer nicotine habit or stimulates someone to begin smoking habits. Most importantly, those who do not smoke at all are concerned whether or not the secondhand smoke emitted from these devices is harmful for those who do not wish to inhale nicotine products. There are states laws that