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Danielle Winner

Professor Rebecca Morean

English 1201.515

24 March 2020

Why Should E-cigarette Marketing Be More Regulated?

Smoking has been a worldwide issue for decades. Just when we think it’s over, a new

device prevails: E-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are getting teenagers hooked on nicotine with their

flavors and intense appeal. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is making moves to fix

this issue, by banning certain flavors. However, is there more that can be done? Should e-

cigarette marketing be stricter?

Truth Initiative, a website whose purpose is to inform young people about the effects of

e-cigarettes, provided a detailed description of the history of e-cigarettes. In 2007, e-cigarettes

entered the market bringing a variety of different devices to the table. E-cigarettes transformed

from traditional cigarette lookalikes to USB replicas. Companies like JUUL wanted to change e-

cigarettes by making them sleek and rechargeable. JUUL became extremely popular, ultimately

leading to a variety of copycats, including Vuse Alto and Vapor4life. Dual-use of tobacco

products is common. In 2016, 54.6% of adult e-cigarette users claimed to also smoke cigarettes.

In a short time, adults were not the only ones using tobacco products. In 2016, a national survey

found that young adult e-cigarette users also used a variety of tobacco products. Teenagers are

attracted to JUUL products because of their flavors and design. The original purpose of e-

cigarettes was to help people quit smoking. However, because teenagers are abusing them, they

may be putting themselves in danger (4 Marketing Tactics).

Many websites have come to the same consensus: that e-cigarettes are becoming a danger
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to teenagers. An article from Science News For Students written by Teresa Shipley Feldhausen

explains how nicotine reaches the brain within seven seconds. The frontal lobe is the section of

the brain liable for emotions and is greatly affected by nicotine (Feldhausen). In another Science

News for Students article, author Alison Stevens wrote that large amounts of people with lung

disease are e-cigarette users. The website Science News For Students reports that “there have

been at least 450 cases reported across 33 states and one U.S territory.” With a total of 5 deaths

and no definitive causes established, people are starting to worry (Stevens). “About one-quarter

of U.S youth and young adults have tried e-cigarettes” (U.S Department of Health and Human

Services). Another source wrote “Between 2017 and 2018 alone, the number of youth who used

e-cigarettes went up by 1.5 million” (Office on Smoking and Health). The Surgeon General,

written by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, and the CDC (Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention), written by the Office on Smoking and Health, are both

valuable sources. They both share the purpose to inform and help others. Both sources include

accurate and up to date information. Luka Kinard told his story about how he started vaping and

why he quit in an interview with Brat on the Truth Initiative website. Kinard shares that he was

at the first Friday night football game and upperclassman told him that if he wanted to sit with

them in the front row, he had to vape. He felt peer pressured and ended up trying it. His personal

experience is an example of how teens start using e-cigarettes.

The FDA is a trusted organization who published an article on January 2, 2020, about the

ban on e-cigarettes flavors like fruit and mint. “As we work to combat the troubling epidemic of

youth e-cigarette use, the enforcement policy we’re issuing today confirms our commitment to

dramatically limit children’s access to certain flavored e-cigarette products we know are so

appealing to them” (FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D). The FDA sees the
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overwhelming issue of e-cigarette abuse and strives to prevent e-cigarette smoking in teens.

Another article says “We commend the FDA on many provisions on sales to minors, prohibitions

on vending machine sales and samples” (The Pros 10). These regulations were a big step in the

right direction, but they failed to prohibit marketing to children through flavorings and online

sales (The Pros). However, Sheila Kaplan, an investigative reporter who covers the tobacco

industry thinks that there is more we should be doing. Kaplan writes “When the Trump

administration decided to prohibit fruit, mint, and dessert flavors in refillable cartridge-based e-

cigarettes like JUUL, it carved out a few exceptions to mollify the vape shop owners and adult

consumers who complained. The much-publicized exemption allows menthol and tobacco

flavors.” The flavor ban was smart, but teenagers found a way around it.

The escape in the ban is, “A footnote on page 9 of the new policy permits all flavors to

continue to be sold in devices that cannot be refilled, and are designed to be disposed of after the

flavored nicotine has run dry” (Kaplan 1). Students have moved on to disposable Puff Bars that

come in plenty of fruity flavors. Puff Bars are also more cost-effective, and easy for teens to

afford. Bennett Kelly, a high school student, said ''If people just sold straight tobacco flavor

vapes, people would want to wean themselves off,'' he said. ''It's not as enjoyable'' (Kaplan 2).

The ban by the FDA left a loophole that is allowing teenagers to continue using nicotine products

(Kaplan 2).

There are many common misconceptions about the topic of e-cigarettes. The Surgeon

General, written by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, discusses what many

teenagers think about e-cigarettes. They wrote, “A recent national survey showed that about 10%

of U.S. youth believe e-cigarettes cause no harm, 62% believe they cause little or some harm,

and 28% believe they cause a lot of harm when they are used some days, but not every day.”
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Many people believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes, or not harmful at all. An

article written by The Harvard Health Publication argues that “[s]mall studies suggest they may

lower cravings for conventional cigarettes and withdrawal symptoms.” The publication claims

that vapes can be used to help smokers quit smoking for good (1). The Harvard Health

Publication, a trusted organization also states that “although e-cigarettes were initially targeted to

young people, more recent ad campaigns feature middle-aged, long-time smokers who have

switched to vaping” (1). The ads are trying to convince traditional smokers that e-cigarettes are

better for them, without saying that specifically. There is no proven connection between smoking

e-cigarettes and quitting smoking completely. The Surgeon General contradicts many teens’

beliefs by stating how nicotine can harm brains as they develop. The Surgeon General concludes

that teens may have trouble paying attention, or concentrating in school. Dale Winner is a

principal at a career technology school (CTC). He deals with teenagers and vaping daily. Over

time he concluded that many students eventually begin substituting the vape oil with an oil

containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Students start vaping in school and then they become

addicted to other chemicals. “Nicotine may alter the way their brain functions for the rest of their

lives” (U.S Department of Health and Human Services).

To truly prevent teen tobacco use, further regulations on e-cigarette marketing need to be

made. The flavors of disposable E-cigarettes need to be regulated because teens have moved on

to devices like Puff Bars. We concluded that nicotine is bad for teens, so why are we allowing

candy-flavored tobacco products that appeal to them? Instead of being stuck in the endless cycle

of tobacco use, federal agencies have the power to end teen tobacco use by making regulations.
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Works Cited

Commissioner, Office of the. “FDA Finalizes Enforcement Policy on Unauthorized Flavored

Cartridge-Based e-Cigarettes That Appeal to Children, Including Fruit and Mint.” U.S.

Food and Drug Administration, FDA, www.fda.gov/news-events/press-

announcements/fda-finalizes-enforcement-policy-unauthorized-flavored-cartridge-based-e-

cigarettes-appeal-children. Accessed 24 March 2020.

“E-Cigarettes: Talk to Youth About the Risks.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2 Dec. 2019. Accessed 24 March 2020.

Feldhausen, Teresa Shipley. “Explainer: The Nico-Teen Brain.” Science News for Students, 3

Dec. 2019, www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-nico-teen-brain. Accessed

26 April 2020.

“4 Marketing Tactics e-Cigarette Companies Use to Target Youth.” Truth Initiative, 9 Aug.

2018, truthinitiative.org/research-resources/tobacco-industry-marketing/4-marketing-

tactics-e-cigarette-companies-use-target. Accessed 24 March 2020.

“Get the Facts on E-Cigarettes: Know the Risks: E-Cigarettes & Young People: U.S. Surgeon

General's Report.” E, e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/getthefacts.html. Accessed 24 March

2020.

Harvard Health Publishing. “E-Cigarettes: Hazardous or Helpful?” Harvard Health,

www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/e-cigarettes-hazardous-or-helpful. Accessed 26

March 2020.

Kaplan, Sheila. “Savvy Teens Find Loophole in Vaping Ban and Dive Through for Flavors.”

New York Times, vol. 169, no. 58590, Feb. 2020, p. A21. EBSCOhost,
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search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=141497422&site=ehost-live.

Accessed 24 March 2020.

Kinard, Luka. Brat Publications, www.instagram.com/tv/B9C_gFfg9dv/?utm_source=ig_embed.

Accessed 26 March 2020.

Stevens, Alison Pearce, et al. “Science News for Students.” Science News for Students, 26 Mar.

2020, www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/. Accessed 26 March 2020.

“The Pros and Cons of E-Cigarette Regulations.” Congressional Digest, vol. 94, no. 4, Apr.

2015, pp. 10–31. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=101913976&site=ehost-live. Accessed 26 March 2020.

Winner, Dale. Personal interview. 27 March 2020.