E-cigarettes and vapor products have presented a strong presence in today’s society. Essentially they are products in which contain nicotine which can be produced into a vapor due to their liquid components. These items are becoming a growing trend as more are being added to today’s market.  Although these items were originally created in order to target and influence adults to switch from cigarettes to a less harmful vaporizer, adolescents have become interested in these devices also,  creating much of today’s trend. Carwyn Hooper explains this trend by stating “US-based study found that the proportion of middle and high school students in America who had ever used an e-cigarette more than doubled between 2011 and 2012”. Therefore, with the rapid growth of adolescent e-cigarette and vaporizer users these products have become a concerning aspect in today’s society regarding whether or not they are harmful to today’s adolescent population. Studies have shown that these e-cigarette and vapor products are harmful to adolescents, and it is important that the health risks due to these products are presented clearly to serve as deterrence, and that the products are regulated more effectively.  

First of all, e-cigarettes and vaporizers are harmful to adolescents specifically in regards to the health risks they cause. E-cigarettes and vaporizers contain nicotine, just as cigarettes do, although the amount of nicotine they store is much lower than the amount in a cigarette. However, e-cigarettes, and vaporizers are still very addictive, and as adolescents have begun smoking these new items, they’re creating concerning effects on their undeveloped brain.  In addition to the effects on the undeveloped brain these vapor products lead to future addiction problems, and drug abuse especially in the youth who are utilizing these products. For example, current smokers have stated that as studies have shown e-cigarette and vapor product smoking leads to future drug utilization and they do not want adolescents of today’s society nor in the future addicted to nicotine as they are (Unger et al 421).  Moreover, these e-cigarettes and vaporizers can also lead to increased blood pressure, and worrying effects on the cardiovascular system. Janet Raloff explains these worrisome effects on the body specifically the cardiovascular system by describing how studies have shown that e-cigarettes and vaporizers have shown evidence of solvents (when the nicotine in these products, and the flavorings are dissolved) which causes lung irritation, and can form other cancer causing chemicals (9).  Although there are indeed a few known health risks such as the ones stated before, there are also more risks to be worried about for the mere fact that e-cigarettes and vaporizers still need intense research as a lot of their components and how they react with each other are still unknown. Therefore, It is crucial that the adolescent population of today’s society is directed away from utilizing these e-cigarettes, and vapor products as each and every one of these health risks are capable of happening especially within a person of a young age. 

Moreover, these health risks should not only be displayed within today’s common sources of retrieving news whether via the internet, newspaper, or local broadcasting network, but also in the education systems, and other forms of media. In order to successfully educate adolescents on health risks associated with e-cigarette and vaporizers, it is important that it is incorporated within their school studies, and within aspects of their daily lives such as social media etc. Rob Stein explains how Brian King who is the deputy director in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office for Smoking and Health conducted research in regards to a drop in adolescent users of e-cigarettes and vapor products.  King determined that public education campaigns about the dangers and health risks of these products probably played a very significant role in this drop (Stein). Therefore, in order to continue on fulfilling this drop it is necessary that adolescents are well informed and educated about the potential dangers of e-cigarettes and vaporizers in public forums that apply directly to them in order to make a noticeable change.

Furthermore, it is critical that e-cigarettes, and vapor products are more effectively regulated in regards to packaging for the sake of today’s adolescent population. Bright colors, attractive fonts and phrases, as well as appealing flavors are all qualities in e-cigarette and vapor product packaging that are attractive to the adolescent eye. When packaging is appealing it is successfully fulfilling the manufacturer’s hopes to get more profit from an increase in sales, while the adolescent population is their main target due to the fact that they are the ones these packaging qualities appeal to the most. For example, many manufacturers create flavors that replicate candy in order to be seen as more tempting to today’s youth rather than flavors they’d be more inclined to leave behind. Therefore it is necessary that packaging is more adequately regulated by completing simple tasks. These tasks include firstly, making sure the flavors are more appealing to adults rather than youth. In a study conducted by various doctors, it was found that a sample of the population agreed that e-cigarette and vapor product flavorings are more directed to today’s youth (Unger et al 417). However this attraction can be avoided by simply creating a range of flavors that would be more appealing to adults, while replacing the sweet candy like flavors that are less appealing to adults who choose to utilize an e-cigarette or another form of a vapor product. The second task would be avoiding bright colors, and pretentious fonts and phrases by instead making the packaging more sophisticated for adults to decide whether or not it is a product they would like to invest in, while also providing warning labels to indicate the potential risks of these products. As products such as regular cigarettes, and cigars contain warning labels it is important that new rules are set in place to require these same types of warning labels when it comes to e-cigarettes, and vapor products (Oxenford). These labels should essentially include the health risks associated with these products so that incase an adolescent is attracted to an e-cigarette or vapor product they can also familiarize themselves with the risks before engaging in a perilous activity such as smoking these products. 

Moreover, it is also important that e-cigarette and vapor products are more effectively regulated in regards to advertisements for the sake of today’s adolescent population. As new rules regarding e-cigarettes, and vapor products are being discussed stricter policies are being put into place regarding advertisements. For example, in regards to these new rules “e-cigs and pipe tobacco, ads will need to include the phrase: ‘WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical” (Oxenford). With these warning labels being placed into effect advertisements will hopefully serve as deterrence by explaining although these items may seem appealing they are more importantly addictive due to their nicotine content, which is important to get across to adolescents. Furthermore, the FDA describes that although there are indeed many different mediums of advertisements, these warning disclosures should be displayed within every and every one of them so that there is no gray area as to where the disclosures may and may not be displayed (Oxenford). With this form of regulation on advertisements adolescents are less approachable when it comes to selling these products, and making profit off of them, which in the long run is protecting the youth of today’s society.  

Finally, it is equally as important that e-cigarettes, and vapor products are regulated in regards to age restrictions for the sake of the adolescent population. Due to the large amount of adolescent e-cigarette, and vapor product users it is evident that they are able to get their hands on these products with ease, whether they are getting them from on-line without any questions regarding age or if they are even getting them in a store in which carries these products. Therefore, it is necessary that these items are sternly regulated by placing an age restriction of at least eighteen years or older, just as the age restriction would be in order to purchase a regular cigarette. With this restriction in place it should assist in decreasing the amount of adolescent e-cigarette and vapor product users. 

However, in contrast there are indeed nicotine free vapor products available. Although many wonder why one would prefer to utilize a vapor product without nicotine, it is simply due to the stimulation of the vapor inhalation and exhalation that replicate that of actual cigarette smoking which is pleasing to previous smokers who are making an attempt to quit smoking (McDonald). In fact 75% of all high school seniors who use vaporizers stated that they utilize these nicotine free liquids (McDonald).  Therefore, if more people make an attempt to utilize these nicotine free vaporizers it could create a safer environment for the adolescent population so that they are less likely to engage in smoking nicotine which could potentially lead to the use of other harmful drugs. In comparison, if an adolescent is already at the risk, and utilizing harmful drugs, e-cigarettes, and vapor products could indeed be a better alternative to lead them away from various drugs by utilizing a product in which one could enjoy without nicotine as a safer alternative. 

In conclusion, e-cigarettes and vapor products are harmful to today’s adolescent population, and it is necessary that the health risks of these products are exposed to educate and serve as deterrence to adolescents, and that these products are more effectively regulated so that less adolescents will be inclined to utilize these products. 
