Introduction:

Vaping has become a widespread epidemic in the youth population, and teens have become trapped in a nicotine addiction.  From vaping in school bathrooms, behind the wheel, on their own, and in social settings, this addiction has affected a large portion of the teen population.  Last year, the percentage of 12th-grade students that engaged in vaping hit a record-high at 42.5% (https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/print/17921-number-of-teens-vaping-hits-record-high-survey-shows).  In order to feed this addiction, teens spend around $1,000 per year on vaping products (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-crackdown-on-juul-made-vaping-more-expensive-for-some-teens-2019-06-24).  For reference, a cigarette smoker spends about $1,887.05 when they smoke one pack per day (https://www.umassmed.edu/globalassets/center-for-mental-health-services-research/documents/products-publications/posters/wellness/incorporating_tobacco_cessation.pdf).  Cigarette smoking is regarded as an expensive addiction, and this comparison shows that vaping is an expensive addiction as well.  Moreover, the rising rates of teen vaping have demonstrated that the cost does not deter teens from vaping. This makes the teen population an easy target market for vaping companies to promote their products and bring in revenue.  With the ability to profit off of vulnerable teens, have vaping companies taken advantage of the lack of regulation in the vaping market to market their products to teens in order to maximize their profit? Moreover, do vaping companies prioritize profit over their consumers’ health?

 

History of Teens Smoking Cigarettes:

In the midst of the 20th century, the development of automatic cigarette rolling machines provided a launching point for the cigarette industry (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894634/) .  With this automation, smoking became a prominent aspect of American culture, and cigarette companies pursued an abundance of advertising campaigns. For instance, in 1935, Camel advertised that “they don’t get your wind,” and in 1937, Lucky Strike described their cigarettes as “gentle on my throat” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894634/).  These campaigns took advantage of the freedom in the advertising market to sell their products even though these products would harm consumers.  

Smoking cigarettes was prominent in other aspects of culture as well.  For instance, in movies such as The Outsiders and Grease, the main characters are shown smoking cigarettes.  This portrayal in pop culture made smoking cigarettes seem like the norm and the popular thing to do.  

As teens are very vulnerable to cultural influences, smoking became very prominent.  In 1977, 29% of high school seniors smoked cigarettes every day (http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-overview2018.pdf).  This habit even took place on school grounds as many schools had designated smoking areas for students.  In a 1977 article from The New York Times, Julie Jenner, who started smoking Marlboros at the age of 15, expressed that smoking was a social thing at school and that she engaged between classes (https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/20/archives/school-for-smoking.html).  In the same article, Chris Moore, who was a 14 year old smoking Marlboros, reported that “this place definitely adds to my habit” (https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/20/archives/school-for-smoking.html).  The school’s principal defended the tolerance of these actions at the school and said, “The advertising and enticement that comes from the cigarette industry is too much.  There are too many cultural inducements” (https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/20/archives/school-for-smoking.html).

However, once the harmful effects of smoking were discovered, smoking rates experienced a sharp decline.  The Surgeon General reported that smoking is an addiction, causes cancer, and harms others through secondhand smoke as well (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894634/).  With these health issues becoming a concern, many regulations were implemented to reverse the trends of smoking.  Smoking became restricted in public spaces, including school grounds; anti-smoking campaigns were in the public eye; and higher taxes were imposed upon cigarette purchases.  This shift against smoking was reflected in overall smoking rates and in teens as well. Specifically, between 1976 and 2016, the percentage of high school seniors that smoked cigarettes daily decreased from 29 percent to merely 3.6% (http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-overview2018.pdf).

In recent years, we have seen vaping exponentially rise on the cultural scene of teen habits.  Between 2011 and 2015, vaping in the teen population increased by 900 percent (https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/19/health/juul-washington-california-lawsuits/index.html).  After working so hard to impose regulations and turn teens away from smoking cigarettes, these vaping statistics make it seem like vaping was able to become prominent without being hindered by regulations, as evidenced by the very rapid rise in vaping percentages.  Teens are still teens and like to feel rebellious and try new things. Vaping has become the modern version of cigarette smoking that allows teens to fulfill this desire.