by Ebunoluwa Akinbode
The rise in the use of vape pens, such as JUUL, are fairly new and unchartered territories whose effects continue to be studied. What was once thought to be a safer mechanism in aiding cigarette smokers to quit has now become a phenomenon amongst teens and young adults.
Traditional laws surrounding nicotine have targeted cigarettes specifically since the 1950s. As new studies emerge on the less than perfect reality of e-cigs, some communities and colleges are attempting to get ahead of this new form of nicotine addiction. However, the separation of e-cigs from the carcinogenic attributes of traditional cigarettes has posed problems both in convincing students of the research’s validity and with colleges to act to prevent and/or lessen Juuling.
Since the popularity of cigarettes, studies have been done linking nicotine intake and the increased propensity towards addiction to cocaine. However, the connection of cigarettes to cancer overshadowed these findings. New research on e-cigarettes now shows a link between vaping and the eventual turn to traditional cigarettes amongst teens and young adults. Therefore, while vape pens may not directly cause cancer, they can act as a gateway to practices that do.
This poses a threat to the work done to reduce cigarette use among younger generations and prevent certain forms of cancer while also contradicting the original aim of e-cigarettes. Moreover, vape pens do not reduce the dangers that have always been associated with nicotine addiction such as side effects to the heart, hormones, and gastrointestinal systems as well as the social side effects of any addiction- especially one that has been found to at times be as hard to give up as heroin.
Given the demographic that has experienced this surge in e-cigarette use, high schools and colleges carry the burden of addressing this situation. Across the board, responses have been mixed ranging from a direct approach, either in banning e-cigarettes or offering services to help students quit, to a lack of change at all.
The National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado created “My Life My Quit” as a hotline to help high school students quit vaping in response to the new CDC study on the possible negative effects of vaping on the lungs. Other school districts in Virginia, Maryland, and D.C have been taking a similar direct approach but with a focus instead on banning e-cigarettes from schools. Universities such as Ohio State, Michigan State, Skidmore College and the University of Texas have taken a less direct tactic by declaring themselves ‘vape-free campuses’ and changing their ‘smoke-free’ signages to include vape pens. Conversely, universities such as The George Washington University have only updated their ‘smoke-free’ policies to include e-cigs, but no other action has been taken. However, the university has programs geared towards helping individuals quit smoking. These support programs are outsourced to other organizations such as the American Cancer Society’s Quit For Life Program that do not yet have the resources to tailor their work to students facing vaping addictions.
As a result, in order for students to have the available resources to improve universities will either have to create their own addiction support services tailored to the observed challenges facing their students. The alternative would be putting the onus on organizations around the U.S to catch up to new research and update their practices to aid teens and young adults now addicted to nicotine through vaping.
Ebunoluwa Akinbode is a GW Scope staff writer and senior editor for the Social Sciences of the George Washington Undergraduate Review journal. She is a sophomore studying International Affairs with a double concentration in Africa and International Development. She is currently a research assistant for Professor Janet Lewis, of the GW Political Science Department, who is conducting research on rebel group formation in Africa. She is a member of the University Honors Program, Alternative Breaks, and the African Student Association.
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