Many states are considering banning JUUL following several deaths

By Sydney Gorak | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Several states such as Massachusetts, Michigan and New York have banned the sale of vaping products, and many states are considering putting a ban on all e-cigarettes. There have been 18 deaths reported due to smoking JUUL and at least 1,080 confirmed vaping related cases.

These deaths continue to rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Many health problems and illnesses have arisen from the use of vaping products as well.

“There have been hundreds of people coming into our clinic with shortness of breath and coughing. Many of these people have to be put on ventilators because they suffer with unexplanatory lung disease with a vaping history,” said Dr. Jennifer Fulton, a pulmonologist at Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center. “It can only be assumed these illnesses are linked to vaping.”

E-cigarettes have only been around for a few years but are already being linked to emerging diseases. In the 1950s, studies showed a link between cigarettes and cancer. Now, many concerns in her line of work have been focused on the use of e-cigarettes, Fulton said.

The frequent question patients were asked used to be, “Do you smoke?” Today, the question is, “Do you vape?” she said.

Many individuals suffering with vaping-related health issues range from 21 to 35 years old. The trend has spread to St. Augustine — students on Flagler College’s campus can be seen smoking vapes and JUUL.

“A few students came in with bad coughing, and they are worried it is caused from vaping,” said Holly Doucette, nurse practitioner at the Flagler College Heath Center. “There are many concerns with students who use vaping products because as teenagers and young adults, they may suffer from more serious health issues later on if they continue to use these products.”

Recently, Massachusetts ordered a four month ban on the sale of vaping products. The ban received a great amount of backlash from the public, as well as the e-cigarette market, which JUUL profits make up 70 percent, according to The New York Times. JUUL has become a popular choice of smoking among teenagers and young adults and is an extreme money-making industry.

San Francisco is the nation’s largest maker of e-cigarettes and proposed a campaign to stop all sales of vaping products. The city has contemplated several ways to overturn this problem, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. One solution was to eliminate the most popular pod flavors among teenage JUUL smokers. The e-cigarette companies are now awaiting President Trump’s approval for the ban.

“I think the banning of all nicotine products is not a smart idea. People will go to other sources to receive their nicotine products which may not be safe,” said Tatum Bloch, a student at Flagler College. “I feel that if Florida wants to ban all e-cigarettes, they should offer free classes around the community to help people stop smoking.”

Problematically, vaping products are advertised to a younger demographic and are marketed as a way to help people quit smoking cigarettes.

“It took them years to convince people that tobacco kills, and now the problem has changed to vaping,” Fulton said.