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Serious concerns about the popular social media app TikTok have grown significantly in the past few weeks, raising questions about China’s influence over young people. This concern about China’s most popular social media app appears to have become more of a national security issue than just a home dilemma about screen time. Unfortunately, TikTok’s impact on young people is nothing compared to China’s most powerful teenage addiction. The candy-flavoured, disposable nicotine vape that hit America’s shores illegally is getting kids hooked on this new wave of life-threatening epidemics.
A few years ago, news of the teenage e-cigarette epidemic dominated headlines across the country as Mango Juuls became proxies #1 and e-cigarette use skyrocketed from coast to coast. Legislators push for legislation to ban flavored e-cigarettes after reports of deadly lung infections from .
Despite aggressive efforts by the FDA and policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels, the teenage e-cigarette epidemic has mutated to escape regulation. Products from companies such as Elfbar and Puff Bar, which make flavored, single-use vape, have become teenage favorites for new flavors. In 2022, his 55% of youth e-cigarette users report using disposable products, with puff bars as his teens’ top choice for almost 15% of the market.
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Greedy opportunists, including thousands of unknown Chinese manufacturers, realized that FDA regulations prohibited only cartridge-based e-cigarette flavors. Flavored disposable nicotine vape evades regulation and finds its way into schools, homes and teen pockets. According to some reports, these single-use products are not only appealing to taste, but are turbocharged with illegal levels of nicotine to keep children hooked faster.
Piles of used or discarded vape pens are found littering the streets of New York City. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Image Group via Getty Images)
The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. The case of these illegal e-cigarettes is no exception. Their predatory marketing is profiting from the pain of our children, but at least Puff Bar is a company with brands and products that law enforcement can (try to) identify.
The bigger threat is a tsunami of counterfeit and toxic-flavoured single-use nicotine e-cigarettes from China. Often these products are just a click away and flavors such as cherry pomegranate and kiwi him passion fruit guava sold on “made in china” websites appear.
A highly addictive single-use nicotine vape from China that has escaped supervision opens up a whole world of risks. Products manufactured by established companies in the United States undergo some degree of oversight to ensure that safety standards are met. But anything can end up in a child’s lungs once it enters an illegal market where the product is smuggled out of China.
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Over the past few months, there have been reports of fentanyl-laced e-cigarettes becoming addicting, even among teenagers and students overdosing on contaminated e-cigarette products in high schools. . In February, Florida Democratic Rep. Sheila Charphilus McCormack announced that she was taking action to protect children by introducing new legislation that would call for urgent FDA action.
Despite aggressive efforts by the FDA and policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels, the teenage e-cigarette epidemic has mutated to escape regulation.
Ohio Democratic Rep. Shontelle Brown also spoke out to protect children. Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin recently wrote a letter expressing concern over the Biden administration’s lack of decisive action.Most recently, Senate Majority Leader Schumer asked the FDA to investigate elf bar. Many brave leaders are in force, but we must act quickly to help our children.
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It’s hard enough being a parent to teenagers these days, and it’s getting harder and harder to keep them under close watch and safe. As devastating as it is, we now have the opportunity and responsibility to address the devastating impact.
With shadowy criminal activity seeking to lure and addict our children and infect their minds with toxic e-cigarettes, we need the help of elected officials more than ever. It’s time to step up and close the flavored single-use vape loopholes and give law enforcement the tools to remove them from the shelves so America’s next generation can be kept happy and healthy. .
