Vaping-Attention To Prevention
When was the last time you saw kids stand up for anything? It literally nearly takes an act of God Or Congress to fervently move anyone to act on the major life-changing issue. Teens? Forget about it!
If this is how you feel about our youth of today, you're in for a surprise! Rewind that old methodology of thinking.
There's a group of young adults striving to empower other teens to speak out, speak up and advocate for their own health and the health of their peers. Their calling is giving a new voice to growing anti-vaping communities worldwide. They have formed a Not-For-Profit Corporation known as "Vaping-Attention To Prevention".
These teens are on a mission to help empower other teens to abstain from ever picking up a vape or e-cigarette. The nonprofit organization they created has an 8 item list of things they are working hard to change, including the way our government handles the advertisement of vapes and the government regulation of vape juices, and e-cigarettes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in five US teens now vape. The Juul® product tops the list among the most popular brands of e-cigarettes among teens who vape.
The Surgeon General had this to say about vaping.
"E-cigarettes are devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol that the user inhales. The liquid usually has nicotine and flavoring in it and other additives. The nicotine in e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes is addictive. E-cigarettes are considered tobacco products because most of them contain nicotine, which comes from tobacco."
Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes can contain harmful and potentially harmful ingredients, including:
ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
flavorants such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease
volatile organic compounds
heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead
Juul® e-cigarette brand has enticing flavors that many claim specifically target kids in their advertising. There are variants of vape juice flavors that are created with the objective of attracting young adults and teens. These flavors are especially popular among middle and high school-aged students. The flavor names carry connotations of childhood and include flavors like Fruity Hoops, Cotton Candy, Gummy Bears and Mother's Milk, to name a few. In addition, cartoon character titles are now popping up like "Curious George" and "Papa Smurf".
In essence, these companies that "deal" e-cigarettes and vape juices are creating the next generation of addicts with devastating consequences.
A government ban on vape flavorings is high on the list of regulatory goals that this Georgia group of teens proposes to enact through the legislature.
According to the USA Today Newspaper in an article on their website on July 15, 2019, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb blames a teen vaping “epidemic” on Juul®. In the article written by Angelica Lavito of CNBC, she states that CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla interviewed the CEO of Juul® Labs, Kevin Burns, for a documentary. In the interview, Burns stated that Juul® is not intended for kids, as his response, when asked what he would say to a parent of a teen who is addicted to his product.
Vaping-Attention to Prevention has thrown their hat into the ring through advocacy, education, and petitions aimed at stopping the sale of e-cigarettes of any kind to minors and adults under the age of 21. In the early days of Juul® advertising campaigns, flashy colors and young models were used, which may have fueled and fed the teen vaping fire.
If this teen Not-For-Profit is successful in their goals, it will be through their unique approach at reaching other young adults before e-cigarette manufacturers do. Vaping-Attention To Prevention has a mammoth task on their hands as they go head to head with Corporate America. They are definitely armed and prepared to take on these teen-targeting vape companies.
E-cigarettes have been labeled as a holy grail for people trying to quit smoking. In fact, e-cigarettes are just as harmful. The nicotine contained in vape juice is as equally, if not more addictive, than traditional tobacco. Research on the effects of the vapors produced by e-cigarettes points to lung damage equivalent to a 2 pack a day smoker, with the nicotine content being twice as high.
The chemicals produced by the e-cigarettes can cause a lung condition referred to by the American Lung Association as "Popcorn Lung". This disease is s type of scaring similar to COPD. Switching to e-cigarettes from smoking is essentially swapping out one deadly habit for another.
In addition, the human brain continues to develop up to the age of 25. For teens who take up the vaping habit, this can have devastating consequences on future mental health and learning development.
Attention To Prevention understands all of this. Besides their petition and advocacy efforts, Attention To Prevention just launched a brand new podcast through Soundcloud in order to reach even more teens. Their podcast broaches a subject of deadly seriousness that even most adults won't touch. By taking a stand for each other, Vaping-Attention To Prevention is doing what they can to save our world and the future generations who will lead it.
Find their episodes on Soundcloud by clicking here.
In a world where most parents can't even get their kids to clean their rooms, we should all be proud to live in a world where kids now take a stand for each other. Vaping-Attention To Prevention is a conglomerate of youth advocates who are making changes and strides for the betterment of the health and lives of our youth; current and future. It's kids like these that will essentially save our planet and its inhabitants.
If you want more information on what you can do to help end the teen vaping addiction epidemic, please contact JUAN-MARCO@VAPING-ATTENTIONTOPREVENTION.ORG
Click here to visit the Vaping-Attention To Prevention website.
VAPING-ATTENTIONTOPREVENTION.ORG
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