As vaping continues to get a bad reputation in the media, we continue to scratch our heads in confusion.
How can something that has been proven to be a healthy alternative to traditional cigarette smoking prompt so much negative backlash? Well, according to a recent article published at reason.com, it may have something to do with skewed statistics and complete untruths courtesy of modern-day media.
According to a recent article on the Hit & Run Blog, even though e-cigarettes and vaporizers contain zero tobacco (even tobacco-flavored e-cigs are tobacco-free), the CDC categorizes them as “tobacco products”. With that said, they’re quick to declare that youth tobacco consumption is on the rise even though cigarette smoking amongst teenagers fell from 15.8% in 2011 to 9.3% in 2015. This, of course, is being unjustly “shadowed” by the dramatic incline in vaping amongst teenagers (1.5% in 2011 to 16.5% in 2015).
The referred article says it best, “Given the enormous difference between the risks posed by smoking and the risks posed by vaping (which is 95 percent less hazardous), that position is scientifically absurd. When vaping replace smoking, that should count as a public health victory, not a setback.” and “the CDC should be celebrating.”
And, even then, if it’s the nicotine that the CDC is concerned about, perhaps they shouldn’t ignore the roaring statistics that show that a majority of teenager vapers are opting for nicotine-free e-juice. According to a 2014 Monitoring the Future Study, only 22% of high school seniors who used e-cigarettes “reported inhaling nicotine.”
At the end of the day, we know the truth, and so does the rest of the vaping community. However, if the media continues to paint vaping under the same heavy-handed brush as truly harmful tobacco products, traditional cigarette smokers may be ever more reluctant to make the switch, and the stigma that surrounds vaping will only grow stronger and more defiant.
To learn more about the CDC’s recent National Youth Tobacco Survey, read the full article: The CDC Keeps Lying About Adolescent Vaping and Tobacco Use.
