The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in September that they have an agenda to crack down on flavored vape pods.

The FDA declared that minor’s usage of electronic cigarettes has reached an “epidemic proportion.” Scott Gottlieb of the FDA disclosed his plans this month of trying to ban menthol from regular cigarettes, outlaw flavored cigars and make stricter rules regarding e-cigarettes.

It is argued that flavored vape pods contain nicotine which is an addictive substance. According to Jasmine Reese, M.D. of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, vape products can be considered dangerous to anyone who uses them, especially to minors. She states, “Nicotine is addictive and causes harmful effects to the adolescent brain, which is still developing.” Along with nicotine, there are a multitude of other harmful chemicals in vape products. One of these harmful substances is aerosols produced by vapes and e-cigarettes which contain cancer-causing chemicals and other harmful substances such as volatile substances, ultra-fine particles and heavy metals including nickel, tin and lead. “Not only are teens inhaling these substances into their own lungs but bystanders are also inhaling these toxins,” stated Reese.

A recent trend among Spring Hill students is to vape in social environments. Plenty of SHC students vape on a regular basis, but the popular thing to do is vape when going out on the weekends. Students turn to vaping because the flavor of vapes is much better than the flavor of tobacco in cigarettes. The vape culture on Spring Hill’s campus is extremely prevalent. With so many students using products such as Juuls, it is highly likely that many of these students are slowly becoming addicted to their vapes because nicotine is an addictive substance. The damage that students are doing by frequently inhaling nicotine and other harmful substances in irreversible.

The FDA sent out warning letters to 1,100 retailers, stating that if these retailers don’t prove that they can keep their products from minors, then the FDA could remove their flavored products from the markets. As stated in The Times, Dr. Gottlieb of the FDA stated that he was unimpressed by the steps Juul and the other companies have taken.