Recently there has been a lot of negative news in the US media about the health risks of vaping:
- Vaping is highly addictive and dangerous (and is not effective for smoking cessation)
- The US is experiencing a teen vaping epidemic, fueled by a deluge of vape flavors specifically developed for and marketed to kids
- 2,807 people have been hospitalized for lung illnesses due to vaping, resulting in 68 deaths (2019)
If you are a vaper, or contemplating becoming a vaper, these news stories can put you off vaping completely, or, at a minimum, make you want to know more – you are going to want to know all the details.
The vape scare of 2019
According to the CDC, the hospitalizations and deaths by vapers in 2019 were caused by vaping – but that is only half the story. The other half of the story is “What were these people vaping?” Turns out they were vaping black market, illegal THC cut with Vitamin E acetate. While Vitamin E is safe when ingested or applied to the skin, when inhaled into the lungs it interferes with normal lung functioning – it can kill. Some CDC statistics:
- 82% of patients reported using THC products
- 84% reported acquiring products from ‘informal sources’ (dealers)
- 94% tested positive for Vitamin E acetate.
Source: CDC, Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with the Use of E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products
There is no evidence that legal products from reputable vape shops have resulted in even a single hospitalization. The culprit was the Vitamin E acetate, which, since the news has gotten out, is no longer being used as a cutting agent for black market THC.
So does this mean vaping is 100% safe?
The concerns about vaping being addictive, and teen vaping on the rise, are true. Medical experts agree that we don’t know the long-term health effects of vaping, and common sense says that the best thing to inhale into your lungs is fresh, clean air. An often cited statistic, by vaping advocates, is that vaping is 95% safer than tobacco smoking – it’s the 4,000 chemicals in a burning cigarette that kill – nicotine, while addictive, is no more dangerous than caffeine. Well 95% is not 100% - the healthiest choice a non-smoker can make is to stay a non-smoker. The effects of vaping for 20-30 years have not been studied. But for current smokers, especially those who have tried unsuccessfully to quit using traditional methods, vaping can be a life saver. Public Health England (PHE) maintains that vaping is 95% less harmful than tobacco – according to Prof John Newton, Director of Health Improvement at PHE: “It would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about safety. We need to reassure smokers that switching to an e-cigarette would be much less harmful than smoking.” Source: The Guardian
So why are some news stories, organizations, and politicians so strongly against vaping?
This is a good question, with surprising answers. Some of the leading reasons that are discussed include:
- Well-meaning people emotionally see vaping as wrong, and they want to stop it – they accept that it is too late to stop tobacco smoking, but they feel that it’s not too late to eradicate vaping.
- Other well-meaning people see teen vaping as a clear and present danger, they see vaping as a gateway to tobacco smoking and other drug use, and they want to eradicate it.
- Big Tobacco has lost market share to vaping – while they can’t say it in public, they don’t want vaping to hurt their tobacco revenues, and they have powerful political lobbies
- State governments have experienced the loss of tobacco tax revenues as tobacco sales have declined – this problem is even worse in states that issued bonds against future tobacco taxes – these bonds are coming due and they don’t have the money.
Does this seem hard to believe? The following Joe Rogan Experience video features Joe interviewing Adam Curry explaining exactly why some groups are against vaping.
So what does the Big Kahuna think?
Tiki Island will not sell any vape products to anyone under 21, period. That is the law. For adults interested in vaping, our advice is straight forward and simple – if you are looking to quit smoking, then we will tell you that vaping has been successful for a lot of our customers, and that it may be one of the best decisions you can make. If you decide to start vaping, the following recommendations from the CDC are solid:
- Adults who do not currently use tobacco products should not start using e-cigarette, or vaping, products.
- E-cigarette, or vaping, products (nicotine- or THC-containing) should never be used by youths, young adults, or women who are pregnant.
- Adults using nicotine-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products as an alternative to cigarettes should not go back to smoking
Questions? Call us, visit us, email us - we are ALWAYS happy to help - as the big sign says at each of our stores:
STOP SMOKING - START VAPING - JOIN THE TIKI LIFE TODAY!