Devious Devices

Snooping through your pre-teen or teen’s backpack and find nothing that alarms you?

Whew.

Flash drive? photo: YM

But maybe you should take a second look. That slender tube that looks like a stylus pen or that ordinary looking flash drive may actually be an electronic device used for smoking or vaping.

E-cigarette and vape delivery systems are devious devices. Google the words vape, e-cigs, or juuling and you will find products and delivery systems that look cool and sophisticated. You have discovered the new world of smoking. Many of the liquids, crystals, and pods used with these devices have the addictive chemical nicotine contained in tobacco although the presence or absence of nicotine does not make these products any safer for anyone to use.

E-cigarette and vaping devices have also removed the telltale signs of a very unhealthy habit: the smell and the staining of the teeth.

The smell of traditional cigarettes and of marijuana is very distinctive. E-devices eliminate or greatly reduce the odor and make it easier to avoid detection. (Been to a rock concert lately? Do you really think people have stopped smoking pot?) While this particular feature of electronic devices may be desirable for adults who want to smoke and don’t want to disturb others with their habits, the manufacturers of these products have put children in their crosshairs in marketing these enticing products.

Websites that sell vaping products have developed an ingenious system for weeding out minors - they ask that you click whether or not you're over the age of eighteen or twenty-one. Foolproof!

Vaping devices started being sold so quickly that they have just recently come under serious scrutiny and regulation by the federal government. Just because something does not look or smell like a traditional cigarette does not make it healthier. Breathing vapor into the mouth and lungs is bad for one’s health. Research is still limited, but it is certain to reveal the still undiscovered dangers of vaping.