The Dangers of Teenage Vaping in Florida

In 2020, President Donald Trump’s administration pointed out the epidemic of e-cigarettes which was rampant across the United States. As a result, the administration implemented laws to stop children and teenagers from using electronic cigarettes. Unfortunately, the regulation had a loophole; the administration did not prohibit vaping fruity and sweet flavors. This loophole resulted in a popularity boom of disposable e-cigarettes among high and middle- school children nationwide.

Vaping, otherwise known as the use of electronic cigarettes, poses a tremendous risk to the health and well-being of everyone, especially teenagers. We will look into the dangers of electronic cigarettes among teens in Florida in this article.

Vaping Culture in Florida

The Florida Youth Tobacco Survey conducted extensive research into the culture of vaping among youths in Florida. The survey documented that 24.5% of high school students in Florida used e-cigarettes 30 days before the survey. This statistic shows the level of addiction of teenagers to nicotine and its allies in Florida.

When the 2020 survey compared to the previous year, 2019, it showed a percentage increase of 16.67%. The survey also reported that 28.8% and 48.5% of middle and high school students have tried vaping at least once.

Electronic cigarettes have become a growing crisis in Florida schools as teachers and school security reports several trends of students vaping in the bathrooms and behind school buildings. Some schools also use security dogs to sniff our electronic cigarettes on school campuses.

The principal rationale behind underage vaping in Florida is the hype# and advertisement of electronic cigarettes to teenagers and young adults. Several e-cigarette companies use colorful

promotions, sweet flavors, and celebrity endorsement deals to convince teenagers that vaping is cool. These marketing strategies impressed electronic cigarettes on young adults, teenagers, and children.

Vaping and Teenage Health

E-cigarettes can cause severe lung damage and cancer because it contains harmful chemicals. Formaldehyde and acrolein are substances in electronic cigarettes that cause severe health concerns, including respiratory and health problems. Electronic cigarettes also contain nicotine which is a highly addictive substance. Nicotine negatively affects kids and teenagers because it affects memory and cognitive development.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) noted that nicotine dependence among teenagers can lead to addiction to other harmful substances, including heroin and cocaine. Nicotine has also caused severe heart problems. In addition, the American Heart Association cautioned that nicotine exposure could result in health problems, including an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, leading to other heart issues and stroke.

The Florida Department of Health also reported that vaping can result in respiratory issues, including coughing, hyperventilation, and shortness of breath. In addition, long-term use of electronic cigarettes has also caused severe health issues such as lung cancer.

Vaping And Teenage Education

E-cigarettes not only cause health-related problems but can also result in poor academic performance among teenagers and young adults. A study published in Tobacco Control reported that high school students who are into vaping are likelier to have lower grades. Such students also miss school more than students who do not use e-cigarettes.

In the result published by the study, there is a 42% increase in poor academic performance and a 31% increase in missing school among teens who vape. These results show that vaping among teenagers can cause substantial damage to their academic performance and long- term consequences on future productivity.

The Long-term Consequences of Teenage Vaping

Even though the health risks and academic consequences of vaping among teenagers are alarming, the long-term implications can be more damaging. In a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, teenagers and kids who use e-cigarettes are more prone to smoking regular cigarettes than kids who do not vape. In addition, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Therefore, parents should monitor their wards to prevent them from taking up the bad habit of smoking.

In addition, vaping also has terrible effects on teenage brain function and development. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported that adolescent vaping can result in mild and severe brain damage. Vaping can also have long-term effects on brain parts responsible for learning, impulse control, and attention.