Editorial: Keep teens from nicotine vaping

Vaping, or the use of e-cigarettes, particularly among young people, may be something worse than a frightening fad. Touted as helpful for adult smokers trying to kick a tobacco habit, the aerosol-producing device’s underground popularity among teens and tweens across the country is threatening to create a new generation of nicotine addicts.

More than 2 million middle and high school students were regular users of e-cigarettes last year, according to federal figures. In Hawaii public schools, about 1 in 4 high schoolers and 1 in 6 middle schoolers used e-cigs in 2017, according to a state survey. That’s alarming.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week declared that teenage use of electronic cigarettes is at an “epidemic proportion,” and rightly put makers of the most popular devices, such as Juul, on notice that they have about two months to prove they can keep their devices away from minors.

If the manufacturers fail to do that, the agency has said it could remove their flavored products — including chemical solutions with nicotine-infused “e-juices” that have names like “Bubble Pop” and “Peanut Butter Cup” — from the market. The FDA also has raised the possibility of civil or criminal charges if companies are allowing bulk sales through their websites.

Both are much-needed steps in the right direction, and the FDA should prep for such action as the chances of makers effectively halting various sales to minors is nearly nil. In past decades, similar directives failed to snuff out teen tobacco use.

Federal law prohibits selling e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes to anyone under age 18. In Hawaii, the age limit for both sorts of cigarettes is 21. Hawaii’s Legislature has also put in place commendable tough takes on public use, requiring smoke-free beaches.

And this year, smoking and tobacco use, including vaping, was banned on all University of Hawaii’s campuses, though the new law does not prohibit possession. It serves as a sensible response to findings that while tobacco use has declined in Hawaii, vaping has been rising rapidly, especially among youth.

Local findings echo a worrisome mainland trend. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now ranks e-cigs as the most commonly used nicotine-delivery product among U.S. youth, with minors more likely than adults to use the devices.

Popular nicotine juices mix in propylene glycol, glycerin, water and flavorings. A battery-powered device heats the liquid into a vapor that’s inhaled. Also, teens who may see vaping as a low-key mix of risk and rebellion, are snapping up new models of easily concealed devices that have a high-tech look — some resemble a flash drive, for example.

If manufacturers truly want to ban sales to minors, clearly, they could make quick strides by doing away with fragrant candy-like e-juices and sneaky-appeal in device design.

It should be noted that not all vaping involves nicotine. For example, in July, Hawaii’s marijuana dispensaries started selling cannabis oil cartridges so that patients can legally take the drug through vaping. And it’s possible, as e-cig advocates and others claim, that vaping is less harmful than cigarettes and can help smokers quit tobacco.

But the jury is still out in regards to long-term health effects tied to vaping; further, the FDA has not approved e-cigs for smoking cessation. What’s clear is that nicotine is highly addictive, and a growing body of research indicates that vaping is leading more adolescents to try tobacco cigarettes.

The FDA should move up its current deadline — set for 2022 — for e-cigarette makers to comply with federal guidelines, which, among other things, require companies to prove that e-cigs are beneficial to public health. And at the local level, for the sake of our youths and general public health, Hawaii must continue vigilance in enforcement of its laws.