Since the first creation of a cigarette machine by James Albert Bonsack in 1880, methods of nicotine consumption have advanced to include water pipes, e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco.
In the present day, teenagers have become a major target group for Big Tobacco companies to keep them addicted. These companies provide an alternative that they claim is much safer and tastes better than a regular cigarette.
While the use of normal cigarettes has gone down to 12.5% between 2020 and 2021, vaping has taken the spotlight to become the new form of addiction to nicotine.
According to an article by UNDO.org, corporations use social media ads, fun flavors and products to grab young people’s attention. Companies are dependent on young people to keep the cycle going, to make money and keep their businesses profitable.
Teens who vape are more likely to become daily cigarette smokers, according to UNDO.org, making them inhale higher doses of nicotine, which can be absorbed easily than in any other product.
College students are no exception when it comes to vaping.
The percentage of college students inhaling this substance has increased from 6.1% in 2017 to 22% in 2019, according to CFAH.
Often, they start vaping due to enjoyment, pleasure, or peer pressure from friends and family.
At times, these same students may use this strategy to cope with their difficulty in school instead of talking to a professional who can help.
Both vaping and smoking have become a debate over whether one is less dangerous than the other, but they both contain nicotine, which can have negative effects on a person’s well-being.
According to an article by Medical News Today, the long-term effects of smoking and vaping are an increased risk of cataracts, impairment of immune system function, cancer, damage to the lungs and delayed development in teenagers.
There are many ways that campuses can motivate students to stop smoking and vaping.
A key to making sure people are less likely to smoke is by setting an example among staff and faculty. Making sure that adults on campuses are taking part in reducing the need to smoke around the campus can lead to others doing the same.
Incorporating lessons and classes aimed at spreading awareness of these harmful toxins, such as the CATCH My Breath vaping prevention program in Houston, can be beneficial. Its focus is on giving free resources such as lesson plans and presentations to help curb the rise in vaping and addiction.
Pierce has taken an important step by becoming a smoke-free campus. To go further, Pierce can provide counseling, support groups, educational resources and healthcare for people who experience addiction.
If students and staff want Pierce to fully become smoke-free the campus needs to try to advocate more openly about how to deal with these addictions. At times, people do not reach out for help when there are not enough resources. Having professionals who deal with these addictions on campus can encourage students to quit.
Smoking and vaping cost more than 480,000 lives in the United States annually, so let’s not wait for these dangerous substances to cause more deaths when they can be prevented now.
