Kid vaping epidemic cited in FDA e-cig fines

Maybe, just maybe, we need to ask the question of whether the consequences of nicotine—without the 3000 or so other compounds in tobacco—are an “epidemic” that is worse than, say, another drug that affects behavior, memory, heart rates, concentration, the nervous system, the respiratory system, and blood pressure. I am referring, of course, to caffeine, and from the various flavors of Mountain Dew to the church coffee bar,

No argument that tobacco kills almost as many people as the “Standard American Diet” and lack of exercise in this country—and is used by only a third as many Americans. However, nicotine is not tobacco, as it lacks the carcinogens and poisons that make “cancer sticks” and “cancer gum” so charming in their effects.

Perhaps a better approach would be to ask users why they like their c-cigs. My guess is that it’s for pretty much the same stimulant properties that we all love in our caffeine. The big issue, then, is how help young people to choose to use it responsibly. That would include reasonable dosage (I had a college friend who put herself in the ER with caffeine) and respecting people around them by not filling the whole area with that fragrant vaping scent where it’s not welcome.