Flavours Are NOT the Reason Kids Turn To Vaping!
Despite every single anti-vaping politician, pressure group and the mainstream media telling us kids vape for flavours, that is not actually the case according to new research.
The kids using JUUL say they do so because it’s cool.
Not only that, they do it for the nicotine ‘buzz’ and because of peer pressure.
Flavours it seems are way way down the list of reasons!
The research, titled: Youth Perceptions of Juul in the United States, has just been released and blows a huge hole in the theories it’s flavours to blame and we must ‘protect the children’ by banning them all.
Researchers used data from 1215 young people aged between 14 to 24 who were asked four questions:
- Have you ever heard of Juul?
- Why do you think people your age juul?
- Do you think juuling is dangerous? Why or why not?
- Do you think juuling leads to using alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs? Why or why not?
Whilst the results showed the youngsters did indeed enjoy the flavours the most common reason give was:
Because it’s trendy and cool
62% of respondents gave that reason whilst just 5% said it was for the flavours!
Co author Dr Tammy Chang, an assistant professor at University of Michigan, said:
Because legislative action is about banning flavors, you might think that’s why kids are using Juul – for the taste.
However, our recently published research, shows something different. Our team surveyed over 1,000 diverse youth, age 14 to 24 years, from all across the U.S.
We heard, in their own words, why they think people their age Juul.
The answers?
Social pressures, the desire to experiment and “the buzz” from the product.
Very few (5%) mentioned flavors as a reason for why youth use Juul.
As researchers who work with youth, this made sense to us.
After all, they have easy access to candies, snacks, and sodas if they crave something tasty.
Why smoke an e-cigarette?
True, a Juul with a good taste makes it more fun.
But flavor is not the primary driver.
Strangely, of the kids surveyed a staggering 79% thought using a JUUL was harmful and contained cancer causing chemicals – for the record it doesn’t!
An interesting piece of research for sure – as to if anti-vape groups or anti-vaping politicians will listen is highly doubtful.
Those of us that have been around a while have seen so many ‘cool’ fads appear and disappear it’s untrue.
Pretty sure once the rabid anti everything lot STFU and move on, kids will turn to something else to ‘experiment’ with.
Hope For Vapers In New Zealand
Vape advocates in New Zealand reckon their government now ‘gets’ the reason flavoured e-liquid is so important.
The NZ Government is currently mulling over new legislation that could see a total flavour ban except for tobacco and menthol flavours.
The Vaping Trade Association of New Zealand (VTANZ) took part in a Zoom meeting with politicians discussing the next steps in the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill.
Thanks to the advocacy groups’ oral submissions, politicians now appear to have grasped the fact that flavours do help vapers keep away from lit tobacco.
VTANZ spokesman Jonathan Devery was upbeat:
The Health Select Committee now better understands the importance of vape flavours in helping Kiwis quit smoking.
Subsequently, we may see some sensible softening of the Government’s proposed flavour restrictions.
MPs heard from a huge number of people and organisations that said: Let’s protect our youth, but let’s also remember that the likes of fruit, dessert, and sweet flavour variations are the most popular for adults and key to smokers successfully quitting tobacco.
We’re hopeful that about three more flavour categories will be allowed for general retail.
That would reflect the fact that up to 90% of ex-smokers want and need those flavours to keep off cigarettes.
Everywhere there are cigarettes but not popular vape flavours only risks smoking rates rising.
Let’s hope they do the sensible thing!
US Military Bans Under 21s From Buying E-cigarettes
Service men and women under the age of 21 will no longer be able to buy vape gear or e-liquids from base shops under new rules coming into force in August this year.
The same restrictions will apply to lit tobacco and hookahs and warning notices will be going up in all bases from July.
I first mentioned this back in April last year.
A couple of months earlier I’d reported that America’s forces were quitting smoking in their droves and turning to the far healthier e-cigarettes.
The data showed that 20% of them had made the switch showing a whopping 5 fold increase of vapers – especially those from the younger age group!
Corey Fitzgerald from the Army Public Health Center said:
Research has shown that raising the legal age of sale to 21 would likely reduce youth tobacco initiation and use.
Nearly all smokers start as young children or young adults.
Of course many if not most will simply buy what they need from off base, but if they’re old enough to go to an actual war – surely they’re old enough to buy a bottle of e-liquid!
South Korea Government Still Anti-Vaping
With new legislation being announced in June 2020, vapers in South Korea are still worried they might be facing a total vape ban.
It was during the so called EVALI outbreak last year that South Korea became so concerned shops stopped selling products including JUUL, and the South Korean military was banned from vaping on bases.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare is STILL saying smokers and vapers should NOT be vaping until its findings are published.
Advocacy group the Korea Electronic Cigarette Association had tried back in March this year to get the warnings removed, however that court case was thrown out.
For the record, smoking among South Korea’s male population is extremely high – so it naturally follows any kind of ban will lead to more tobacco related deaths.
Worrying times.
BAT Launches Menthol Vape Flavours
With the menthol flavoured tobacco ban coming into force here in the UK and Europe later this month, expect many more companies to bring out new flavours.
British American Tobacco is the latest and they’ve just released three menthol and mint flavours for the Vype range of pod kits.
They’ve gone with: Peppermint Tobacco, Just Mint and Creamy Mint.
BAT UK & Ireland general manager, Fredrik Svensson, said:
The upcoming ban on menthol cigarettes is inevitably going to leave many adult smokers without their preferred product. That’s why it’s crucial that we are able to accommodate those looking for alternatives, particularly consumers who see the ban as an opportunity to make the switch to vaping.
Our expanded portfolio means we can offer UK nicotine users a variety of alternatives developed and tested to suit their tastes and preferences, and we want menthol smokers to know that our award-winning alternatives are out there now.
…BAT UK hopes all these new innovations will continue to help our retailers to thrive.
Check out our pick of the very BEST menthol flavoured e-liquids.
and finally…Was EVALI Really COVID-19?
Get your tin foil hat on folks because sources inside China think the EVALI outbreak last year was really the coronavirus.
This theory first appeared back in March when China’s government suggested a link given the symptoms are eerily similar:
…respiratory issues, including cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain fever and, sometimes, gastrointestinal issues.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, is now calling for an international inspection of the US Army’s Fort Detrick laboratory.
She reckons soon after that lab closed down, a hot spot of EVALI cases broke out.
However US medical officials dispute this theory as there has not been any recorded instances of EVALI passing from human to human.
Interesting though 😉
As a footnote on EVALI – it’s more than a little ironic that a team from the CDC has been nominated for a science report for its handling of the EVALI outbreak.
Those in the vape industry knew many months before the cause was contaminated illicit THC pods…
Meanwhile the CDC dithered and many died…
If they win I hope they stick that award up their arse…the CDC’s dithering caused untold deaths and illnesses.
And of course e-cigarettes are now inextricably linked to the EVALI deaths – no matter what the true facts are.
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More vape news on Wednesday!
And as always if you have any news around vaping send it to me at:
neilh @ ecigclick.co.uk
Cheers 🙂
