Is It Time for E-cigarettes to Leave the Market?

Since early September, with eight cases of severe lung disease and death suspected to be caused by vaping in the United States, mainstream media has been asking, "Is it time for e-cigarettes to leave the market?" Here, we quote some local media content to give everyone an understanding of the market situation.
 
E-cigarettes became popular in the market about ten years ago. They are now a $2.6 billion industry in the U.S., with around 20,000 vape shops flourishing across the country in recent years. Additionally, there is a thriving underground black market for e-cigarettes. A survey last year found that 10.8 million American adults use e-cigarettes, and more than half of them also smoke.

E-cigarettes are particularly popular among teenagers. Preliminary results from an annual survey released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse on Wednesday showed that one in four 12th graders reported using drugs in the past month, a significant increase from the previous year.

Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and particularly harmful to young people whose brains are still developing (the human brain continues to develop until around age 25). Nicotine can damage parts of the brain responsible for memory, attention, and learning.

Selling tobacco to minors is also illegal. (More and more states are even raising the smoking age to 21.) Using e-cigarettes may make it easier for teenagers to smoke real cigarettes in the future. Currently, the vast majority of smokers become addicted before the age of 18. Some may not realize how much nicotine they are consuming when they exhale. A typical pod made by Juul can contain as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes and is designed to last about 200 puffs. Dr. Rizzo, who was interviewed, said, "We have a new generation of young people in high school and middle school who are now addicted to nicotine. We don't know what dangers e-cigarettes pose."

What about THC?
 
While many people use e-cigarettes to inhale nicotine, others use them to vaporize THC, a highly psychoactive chemical found in cannabis. A significant portion of recent lung disease cases has been among patients who were vaping THC. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated that a substantial portion of the liquid samples from patients' ventilators contained a compound called vitamin E acetate, which has become the subject of further investigation.

The mainstream media voices regarding the current situation can be categorized into the following types:

1. There are accusations of illegal marketing strategies. There have been over 500 cases of severe lung disease in 38 states, with 8 deaths. The federal government has proposed banning most flavored e-cigarettes, and many states are also making new efforts to combat the epidemic of youth smoking.

2. An alternative viewpoint is raised: Is smoking marijuana safer than smoking cigarettes?

E-cigarettes, because they do not produce smoke and tar, are considered safer than smoking, or at least they can help smokers transition to a less dangerous alternative. However, a mysterious series of illnesses has pushed concerns about health impacts into the spotlight. Many of the sick individuals were vaping THC, and authorities are investigating what else is being sold in the e-cigarette black market. A few of the sick individuals claim that the e-cigarettes they used contained only nicotine, but there are concerns that some young people are not fully disclosing their vaping habits.

3. "We have no evidence to prove whether it is safe. There is no scientific basis for this at all."

4. The rise of e-cigarettes comes after a successful nationwide reduction in smoking rates for at least 20 years, with data suggesting that this year may see a reversal, potentially undoing many years of anti-smoking campaign achievements. Young people are particularly sensitive to nicotine addiction, and once addicted, they are more likely to smoke regular cigarettes.

Only a very small number of media opinions hope that people will stop promoting hype and causing excessive concern.

Government officials warn people not to vape

Public health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people refrain from vaping while the agency investigates the illnesses. They emphasize that young people, pregnant women, and non-smokers should never vape. They also remind those using e-cigarettes to be aware of symptoms of lung disease, such as coughing and chest pain.
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An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine this month bluntly stated that doctors should discourage people from vaping and reiterate that e-cigarettes should never be used by non-smokers.

He said that the issue of smoking control in the era of e-cigarettes keeps him awake at night. The agency only received authorization for so-called "electronic nicotine delivery systems" in 2016 and is currently studying new research and regulations.

In a statement, Dr. Sharpless pointed out the inherent paradox of e-cigarettes: while they are seen as a way to help smokers quit, they attract a new generation of people who may ultimately turn to traditional cigarettes to solve this problem.