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Vaping and E-cigarettes

Vaping is the newest form of substance use that we talk about. Vaping came out as a “safer form of smoking.” This is simply not true. Vaping is dangerous and is making people get sick and die.

Vaping is when people use an electronic device that makes a vapor that looks like smoke. When people inhale vapor, they inhale drugs in the vapor. These drugs are most often nicotine (from tobacco) or THC (from marijuana).

Vaping devices are known as e-cigarettes or e-vaporizers. People buy them premade from the store. People also make their own from parts they buy online. The premade ones usually use nicotine cartridges. Other e-cigarettes have to be refilled with liquid. Many of these cartridges and liquids contain unknown and dangerous chemicals that have been making people very sick.

EVALI Disease

Lots of young people have been going to the hospital with a new sickness that is from vaping.

EVALI stands for E-cigarette or Vaping Related Lung Disease. People with EVALI have trouble breathing, have fevers, and get different lung infections.

EVALI is really scary because we don’t know exactly what causes it. We do know that it comes from vaping. We also know that EVALI happens more when people vape to get high. Vape liquid with THC from marijuana causes more EVALI than vape liquid with nicotine. Vape liquid with nicotine also causes 1 out of 5 EVALI cases. All forms of vaping are dangerous and should be avoided.

Vaping Related Deaths

The New York Times has a vaping illness and death tracker right here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/health/vaping-illness-tracker-evali.html

So far, 2,602 people have gotten sick from vaping. Also, 59 people have died because vaping.

Vaping hasn’t been around for very long. It is likely that the number of people who get sick or die from vaping will go up.

Vaping Bans

The government realizes that vaping is dangerous. The government is working to outlaw vaping. Vaping is already illegal for all people under 18 (21 in some states).

Many states and cities have already outlawed vaping.  Many areas have outlawed flavored e-cigarettes. They say the flavors are made for kids. The president is working on a law to make flavored e-cigarettes against the law everywhere. They might ban all vaping.

It’s a good idea to quit vaping now and avoid the headache of trying to quit when its been outlawed.