Throughout the United States of America, many health problems are arising due to the electronic version of smoking also known as vaping.  Even though it is scientifically proven that vaping is better for your lungs than traditional smoking, that doesn’t mean it’s helping more than it’s hurting. 

People often make the point that vape pens help those who are addicted to nicotine or other chemicals within cigarettes choose a better habit, however the majority of people who use the vape pens have never smoked before. 

The sad truth of vaping is that it is just as addicting as smoking a regular cigarette.  The companies of the vapes know it too. They choose to target where the money is: teens.  As Mr. Philip Sheridan pointed out in the mandatory meeting on October 30th, there have been over thirty vape related deaths nationwide, most of which were teens.  

From 2017-2019, vaping in 12th grade has gone up from 11% to 25%.  Slowly but surely, vaping has begun to spiral out of control and it is our job to make sure this awful epidemic stops now before more people are hurt or, even worse, killed.

On top of it all, vaping not only lures teens with the aspect of either looking cool or fitting in but it also has many different flavors that may make vaping sound appealing.  The brutal truth is that companies who sell vape products are preying on the vulnerable and it is up to us as a nation and as the Loyola Community to stop them.