Are E-Cigarettes Good Or Bad

Cigarettes cause over 400,000 preventable deaths in the United States alone each year. How many of those people were ones that you knew or even your family? Any smoker can die in the blink of an eye, they’ll be gone. Regular combustible cigarettes and electronic cigarettes are causing these deaths . As e-cigarettes are beginning to gain more and more popularity there are more people dying. Is this so called safe device really, safe? Not only do e-cigarettes cause death from the inside, they kill from the outside too, “[m]alfunctioning e-cigarette batteries and accidental activation of the heating element have spontaneously ignited fires in homes, on airplanes and in school gymnasiums, which prompted the issuance of a 2015 (FAA) Safety Alert,”
(John Maa 3). E-cigarettes are causing deaths all around us and we are not able to do much about it. They are causing damage to us, the people around, and the places around them. E-cigarettes need to be regulated by the federal government and the FDA because they are very harmful and they cause injury and serious side effects, and even though marketed to stop addiction, they actually cause addiction to e-cigarettes.
To begin with, e-cigarettes cause consumers to become ill and go to the hospital, for example, as stated by John Maa, “malfunctioning e-cigarette batteries and accidental activation of the heating elements have spontaneously ignited fires in homes, on airplanes, and in high school gymnasiums…” (Maa 3). E-cigarettes are causing damage to their consumers and people around them, also they are destroying public property and public transportation. Because of these deaths and injuries electronic cigarettes must be regulated by the government or else more people will die. Reports from the FDA(Food and Drug Administration) say that they are getting numerous Adverse Event Reports, “We regularly receive voluntary reports of Adverse Events involving e-cigarettes from consumers health professionals and concerned members of
the public. these Adverse Events described in these reports have included hospitalizations for illnesses such as; pneumonia, congestive heart failure, disorientation, seizure, hypotension, and other health problems,”(FDA CDER). There are a large number of reports being sent in by regular people of children and adults getting harmed because of the chemicals in electronic cigarettes. These chemicals in E-Cigarettes must be tested and regulated by the federal government. Even when electronic cigarettes are being used people are still dying, “the claim that cigarettes are safer than traditional combustible cigarettes should this be approached with caution, as safer is not the same as safe. Combustible cigarettes remain one of the most lethal products for sale in America-- more than ten times as many US citizens have died from cigarettes than in all of the wars fought in American history,” (Maa 3). People need to realize that cigarettes do nothing or little different than regular cigarettes; and so they should be regulated the same way. In conclusion, electronic cigarettes cause numerous amounts of symptoms and can even cause addiction like regular cigarettes. Equally important, e-cigarettes just like combustible cigarettes can cause addiction in consumers as Richard Daynard of American Journal of Law and Medicine and the FDA have found, “Such tactics would seem more likely to delay rather than deny final rulemaking action by FDA to make combustible tobacco products non-addictive,” (Daynard 3). Just like regular cigarettes most electronic cigarettes contain nicotine which is the main cause of addiction. To add, regular cigarettes are very addictive for consumers because of its high nicotine content. In addition nicotine addictions are very hard to lose, “Breaking the addiction to nicotine is difficult, even with the assistance of the nicotine patch, gum, or prescription medication, which is why preventing Americans from becoming addicted to nicotine in the first place has been and should continue to be a top Public Health priority. Only about 6% of smokers stop smoking each year with existing smoking cessation aids, and several research Studies have shown that cigarettes are not particularly more effective, with the low quit rate of only about 7%,” (Maa 2). Even with the help of e-cigarettes, nicotine addiction is very challenging to stop having with such low quitting rates. Also, in many cases e-cigarettes also cause addiction. Finally, factories should include addiction warnings on packaging of e-cigarettes, “ In the fall of 2014, the tobacco industry voluntarily decided to place tire warning labels on e-cigarettes regarding their health risks and potential for promoting nicotine addiction,” (Maa 3). Even the manufacturers are regulating themselves because they know the risks of E-cigarettes. As of 2014 manufacturers must now include a label that warns people about the possible addiction from e-cigarettes and also the possible side effects from the chemicals inside. In conclusion, the evidence shows that cigarettes to cause addiction and must be regulated by the FDA. Last but not least, E-cigarettes need to be regulated by the government because prior regulations are only minimal, “Only e-cigarettes that are marketed for therapeutic purposes are currently regulated by the FDA Center for drug evaluation and research…” (FDA 2). The government is not already regulating the use or manufacture of electronic cigarettes. The only types of cigarettes regulated by the government are: combustible cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco. Additionally, a report from John Maa states that, “In 13 countries worldwide, e-cigarettes have been banned, in part due to their potential for promoting drug abuse in addition to nicotine addiction, since marijuana and other illicit substances have been saved as well,” (Maa 2). There are only so many countries that choose to ban the use, sale, or manufacture of e-cigarettes and when enough countries comply the whole world may begin to also. Since, cigarettes are banned in some countries that shows that they are causing issues and people are beginning to notice when is it time that the rest of the world does too? Likewise, E-cigarettes are only currently self-regulated, “ In the fall of 2014, the tobacco industry voluntarily decided to play some dire warning labels on e-cigarettes regarding their health risks and potential for promoting nicotine addiction. This action was reminiscent of the sudden shift in the tobacco industry stance towards combustible cigarettes after the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement,” (Maa 3). The companies are currently more than the government organizations that should be. Government agencies such as the FDA should regulate e-cigarettes because of their death toll and the chemicals inside of them. In conclusion, e-cigarettes should be regulated by the federal government for, they are causing more American deaths than the Civil War times 10. Some may argue that, e-cigarettes are not tobacco product, therefore they should not be regulated as the same.
While it is true that they have not yet been labeled clearly as tobacco products, they are made by tobacco manufacturers and the tobacco industry and have the same qualities as combustible cigarettes. So they should be regulated as a tobacco made product. The opposition cites John Maa saying e-cigarettes are not tobacco products., “The tobacco industry ha asserted that e-cigarettes are not a tobacco product and therefore are not subject to either regulation or taxation under the Tobacco Master Settlement…” (Maa 3). The is a mistake in their logic because in the same article it says that 22 nations worldwide are now regulating e-cigarettes as regular combustible cigarettes. The fact that the FDA can only regulate therapeutic e-cigarettes is false because there are places in the world that are and the rest of the world needs to start doing the same thing. The opposition also cites the FDA, when they say, “[the] FDA has issued a proposal rule that would extend the agency’s tobacco authority to cover additional products that meet the legal definition of a tobacco product such as e-cigarettes,” (FDA 1). The opposition argues that that is enough regulation, however, if that is regulation than there would not be young teen smoking harsh chemicals that slowly kill them. E-cigarettes are tobacco products and they need to be regulated as such. If parts of the world are
regulating e-cigarettes as regular ones that the rest of the world should follow in their footstep and do the same thing. In conclusion, e-cigarettes cause harm to their consumers and must be regulated or even banned from use. However, this regulation will only happen when someone sends in a letter to legislature or call someone of high influence. If we don’t do something about this then the young generation of people will grow up with addiction and large amounts of lung cancer. If 400,000 people die from cigarettes every year, how many will it grow to when the majority of the millennial generation is smoking and stuck being addicted to cigarettes. There must be something that is done to stop e-cigarettes and the manufacture of them.