This is a controversial topic, and one that young people might not want to read! So, let’s start with something we can agree on. Nicotine is very addictive. The more you vape, the more your brain and body get used to having nicotine, and the harder it is to go without it. When you go without vaping, the nicotine level in your bloodstream drops, which can cause nasty feelings, physical symptoms, and urges to vape even more. Like anything else, it is an easy addiction to form. Even if you don’t vape every day, you can still get addicted.
Addiction in the growing brain may mean that you are more likely to get addicted to other substances later in life. Studies show that vaping makes it more likely that someone will try other tobacco products, like regular cigarettes. Many vapes are made by the same companies that produce regular cigarettes. Their marketing targets young people by making fun flavours for vapes and showing young, healthy people vaping. What they are really trying to do is to make you into their new, lifetime customer.
Everyone is different and how quickly someone gets addicted varies. While you might start having it every so often and not feeling attached to it, over time you are likely to need it more and more. Of course, some people will argue, well what about vapes that don’t contain nicotine. Realistically, most vaping juices do have nicotine in them. However, even those that don’t do have chemicals in them, which can still irritate and damage the lungs.
It seems like there are endless reasons to quit vaping, or not to start at all! The long-term health consequences of vaping are not known. Remember that people used to think smoking regular cigarettes was good for them! Immediate risks are examples of how nicotine affects your brain development, which can make it harder to learn and concentrate. Some of the brain changes are permanent and can affect your mood and ability to control your impulses as an adult. Finally, think of the money. Vaping is expensive! The cost of the cartridges over time starts to add up.
Also vaping is illegal for those under 18. In 2020 the Government prohibited vaping at schools and early childhood centres and prohibited vape advertising and sponsorship.
So, it seems pretty clear that vaping is bad, right? Well maybe it’s not so simple.
A decade ago, the NZ Government made a goal to be smokefree by 2025. However, vaping is often thought of as a tool that can help people quit smoking – by switching to nicotine vapes, then nicotine-free vapes, and then eventually quitting altogether. Therefore, any introduction of vaping regulations must consider the smokefree action plan as well. The two are intrinsically linked, with vaping an effective tool towards Aotearoa achieving the smokefree goal.
Nancy Loucas, the co-director of Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA) has said that “As the most effective smoking cessation tool in history, vaping has been key to reducing our national smoking rate in the past decade.” She believes that encouraging smokers to switch to safer and less expensive vaping products is critical to achieving the smokefree ambition.
So, what do you think? On the one hand, vaping is an effective tool to help long-term smokers quit, but on the other more and more young people are getting introduced to addictive substances. Where do we draw the line?
Image credit – https://cbdoracle.com/
Critical Thinking Questions:
- Is it dangerous that young people can buy vape products online?
- What is another long- or short-term effect of using nicotine products?
- Is vaping bad for the environment? Why / why not?
Practical Thinking Questions:
- What are other effective ways to quit smoking, and do these methods work?
- What would you personally think of an immediate vaping ban?
- What are the pros and what are the cons of an immediate vaping ban?
72 Responses
we should stop vaping!!!
I think it is good to vape in order to break a smoking addiction so long you don’t get hooked on vaping too!!
I think we should stop vaping it is twice as worse as smoking and a lot of people are getting peer pressured into it
We should all stop smoking and vaping and hopefully New Zealand becomes a some free country.
if we all stop vaping and smoking we will make nz a healthier place.
I think we should ban smoking/vaping
we should stop vaping
Why was vaping/smoking created anyway such a stupid idea.
LETS STOP VAPING/SMOKING AND SAVE OUR FAMILY,FRIENDS AND PLANTS.
EVERY ONE STOP VAPING
dont vape its bad for you?:-O
we shuold not stop vaping
nah lets keep vaping
nah keep vaping till you have lung cancer??
why do kids even wanna do this???
just stop this asap!!!
vaping I not as bad as smoking but it is still terrible for your lungs.
stop vaping every one around the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
stop vaping but also smoking because they are as bad as eachother
YOOOOOOO BAN SMOKING AND VAPING BRUH
vape for life keep vaping its good for your lungs
stop vaping
In my opinion, vaping and smoking should be banned and destroyed. It affects your brain and your lungs and you do not want to get addicted to it.
Vaping is a bad thing and so is cigaretting
stop smokingggg
Vaping puts nicotine into the body. Nicotine is highly addictive and can: slow brain development in teens and affect memory,concetiration,learning,self-control,attention,and mod.
we shold stop vaping this is bad for our body and stop putting them on the ground and dont drink drugs
Vaping and smoking should be banned but it also shouldn’t be banned, here’s why vaping and smoking are highly addictive and it is very hard to stop doing once you are hooked on it but a lot of people
Please stop it is bad
jasper,I do not agree with you because then we just get addicted to vaping instead of smoking.The Government should stop selling vapes and smokes and drugs because they activate dopamine in your brain and make it really addictive,plus it makes your brain go crazy!I would not advise you to do that!!!
vaping is bad stop vaping
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stop vaping (chant)
we should stop vaping/smoking becuses its bad for ur body and for ur health,like kids are vaping in our school and its not cool.my parents disagree bc they love vaping but i searched some stuff up and saw that vaping is way more worse then smoking and if we stop this nz will be smoke free!
Jasper is wrong as they are both bad and none of them should be practiced try nicotine gum instead but not for long because it also has side effects if taken for too long.
whe should all stop vaping cause its bad for your health and its basicly like smoking and smoking can cause you a heart attack.
I feel like this a total monster of a burger look’s more like a grilled cheese than a burger
I am disgusted.
Vape=not zesty/cool
not vape= zesty/cool
all vaping should be stoped
Vaping is terrible and some idiotic people might not think so, and some young children might see their parents doing it and want to do it to this is terrible! even though you are addicted, stop vaping and smoking and soon your addiction will go away.
We should all stop vaping my opa is in hospital from it
for yall who r saying “we should NOT stop vaping” yall obviously haven’t done research. You can literally get asthma or even worse, lung cancer. the more you vape the faster you are trying to kill yourselves, and you guys r too blind to even see it.
i think we should stop vaping because it is not good for your health and will get dead in no time so thats why i think we should continue vaping . na jokes
STOP VAPING ITS BAD!!!!!
We should stop vaping because its bad for your health and you are gonna get lung cancer and then we have go to the emergency room and that why we should stop vaping
i love vaping it’s hard to buy one when only 9 but i steel my sisters but she is only 12 so she has to buy one of this kid in college
@i love vaping
BRUH imagine vaping
i hate vaping
vapeing is ssssooooo bad
stopping it is good!👍
I think that vaping is sometimes a good thing but they have to be over 18 and have to be using it to quit smoking.
STOP VAPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nah vaping is cool its good for the lungs
vaping is bad do not vape
#vaping is bad i agree with you
I think we should stop it
stop vaping it is bad
I agree vapes can kill you and they are very addictive so STOP VAPING!!!!!!
kids that vape are not cool because if you vape you will have bad lungs when they are older because they will be connsitted as a person
Vaping is bad
stop now only if you have bene smoking you should
DON’T ASK JUST STOP VAPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
STOP VAPING it is terrible for you and just maybe a tiny bit better for you than smoking.
STOP VAPING STOP VAPING STOP VAPING STOP VAPING STOP VAPING STOP VAPING STOP VAPING STOP VAPING STOP VAPING STOP VAPING STOP VAPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t vape is bad for your lunges!!!!!
Vaping is TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! STOP VAPING!!!
Vaping is TERRIBLE for you why do peple even do it
You should not vape its bad for your lungs and you could get really badly sick
STOPPPPPPpPpPPpPPpPpP vaping
STOP VAPING!!!
it is really bad for you and your lungs.
Vaping is bad it is also terrible for your lungs so STOP VAPING.
Lucan, Nafe, Joe and Kearn are right.
YOU SHOULD STOP VAPING RIGHT NOW IT IS BAD FOR YOU AND YOUR HEALTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We should stop vaing
Stop vaping Its not cool!!!!
i think vaping should deffintly stop!
stop vaping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think it should stop
Don’t vape