San Francisco, as part of a statewide primary election, voters approved a ban on flavored tobacco products.
Recently vaping is becoming increasingly popular, this includes the Juul vape pen, an e-cigarette with a vaporizer and pre-filled container of nicotine liquid, that mostly appears to young people.
The Juul seems to have become very popular amongst young people who tend to brag about secretly getting away with blowing puffs in public spaces where it is not allowed. Vaping is considered to be objectively healthier than conventional cigarettes because nothing is burned just heated and sometimes tobaccos is not involved in the Juul.
Still, there are many health risks attached to smoking Juul, especially for young people.
“The people that are marketing these new devices claim that their main focus is to reduce the risk of smokers, and I agree, vaping probably represents a reduction in risk from smoking, “ Ana Rule, a professor of environmentalist health and engineering at John Hopkins University and an author of a study on e-cigs and teens.
“But they fail to address the increased risk to this huge market, they’re creating among teenagers and young adults that never smoked, and would have never even considered smoking”, she added.
The Jull along with e-cigarettes still contain the highly addictive substance of Nicotine, that makes the activity highly addictive.
Aside from that, the act of vaping is also appealing due to its sleek, small, colorful and affordable price. However, the fact is that it’s still has a very high concentration of nicotine than other comparable devices. Nicotine is also said to have a dramatic impact on the developing brain, especially for teens, whose brain is very delicate during the developing periods.
“After only a few months of using nicotine [these teens] describe cravings, sometimes intense ones. Sometimes they also lose their hopes of being able to quit.”
With this said, San Francisco decision to ban the use of flavored tobacco products during the primary election is completely reasonable and justifiable considering that fact that many young people are constantly put at risk and are getting addicted to it thus affecting their daily life.
Apart, from nicotine, there are several other health concerns tied to vaping that are starting to emerge amongst the young people. For instance, one study published last month some of the toxins appear to be making their way through vapers’ bodies, as evidenced by urine analysis run by researchers.
This new move, however, poses a potential threat to the vaping industry, that to this day is valued at $23 billion.
The ban in San Francisco could potentially shape up to be a sizeable danger to the industry if other states and cities follow behind them since the flavors are a big part of the draw for many young people, which is believed is used as a marketing tool in order to lure young people into buying them. Julls are also used in many social events by young people as a way to feel relax and ease their social anxiety. Adults who use the Juul also say that the flavoring is a big part of the draw to smoke.
Still, several states and big-name companies have come out in support of the Jull. One of them includes, Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City and the CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies, called the move “an important step forward for public health” and adding, “this vote should embolden other cities and states to act, because it demonstrates the public will not allow tobacco companies to stand in the way of policies that are proven to reduce smoking and saves lives”.
This new ban could also lead to many backlashes from the younger crowd and even potentially increase the use of cigarettes within the adult and teen population. Which is a concern that the state has been able to fully address as of now.
