A teenager has detailed how her vaping addiction drove her to hide seven of the devices across her bedroom and take over 3,000 puffs each week.
Ruby Ellis from Sydney got addicted to vaping at the age of 14 after seeing other students using them at her school, where, according to Ruby, they were so widespread that “entrepreneurial” pupils started importing them in quantity to sell to their peers.
The now-18-year-old is working to overcome her addiction and has spoken out to draw attention to what has recently turned into a pandemic as millions of the devices—most of which are made in China without Australian regulatory safeguards—inundate the nation.
The Project quoted Ms. Ellis as saying, “I would vape all the time, sometimes in front of my parents if their backs were turned since it’s so simple to conceal.”
Where is my vape? and “one more final puff of the vape” before going to bed become a problem when that’s the first thought you have when you wake up.
As any parent of an adolescent would, her mother Nikola said she was always on the lookout for any warning signals, but she was nevertheless taken aback by the severity of her daughter’s issues.
We were on the lookout for cigarette odors, behavioral changes that would indicate drug use, or the presence of alcohol. However, there is virtually no indication at all with vapes, according to Nikola.
Ms. Ellis disagrees, stating that there were oblique warning signs that her addiction was out of control.
The adolescent said, “There were occasions when you saw something.”
If I took my first dose in the morning, I would be consuming a huge amount of nicotine. You would often ask me, “Why are you shaking? ” and I would respond, “I just took a large dose of the vape.”
Ms. Ellis stated that sometimes, after smoking an e-cigarette, she would “pass out” and feel quite dizzy.
Ruby said she had many vapes hidden in her drawers and other areas of her bedroom, and on one occasion she even dug one out of the garbage and kept using it.
There was a dead rabbit just next to the vaporizer, but she didn’t even say, “Eww!” Instead, she exclaimed, “This is fantastic” as she stood there.
Children like her daughter, who is addicted to something and “not in control of their life” crush Nikola’s heart.
The vaping trend has quickly taken over the country, especially among youth.
This is because they come in a variety of vibrant colors, delicious flavors like pineapple, ice cream, and chocolate, and may be made to resemble common objects like pens or USB sticks.
Ms. Ellis estimated that “90%” of her classmates use vapes, and she acknowledged that finding one was never difficult for her.
To generate a vapour that is breathed into the lungs similarly to tobacco cigarettes, vapes use electricity to heat the e-liquid, which is formed of chemicals and often includes nicotine.
Adults in Australia may only acquire nicotine-free vapes and e-liquid with a prescription; nicotine-containing products can be obtained without one.
However, it is against the law to offer vaping items to children, nicotine or not.
However, despite this, there is still a booming black market for the items, which are freely accessible over-the-counter at convenience shops and tobacconists and may be purchased from outside over the internet.
The bulk are produced in facilities in Shenzhen, China, the “vape capital” of the world, where millions of the goods are produced each day.
Between October 2021 and May 2022, 248 shipments of nicotine vaping items were seized by Border Force at the Australian border.
This only comprised a small portion of the enormous amount of nicotine vaping products that enter the country—144,724 items total.
More than 30% of young people in NSW alone have tried e-cigarettes, and 80% of those who vaped found it simple to get the goods, according to Cancer Council NSW.
The devices’ proponents claim that since they wean users off traditional cigarettes, the damage is reduced.
However, detractors claim that they are producing a whole new generation of vapers, whose risks have not yet been shown.
Because the devices have not been on the market long enough, the World Health Organization states that “adequate data are not available to fully comprehend the breadth of their influence on health.”
“However, the evidence is unmistakable that the aerosols of the majority of electronic nicotine delivery systems contain toxic chemicals that can cause cancer and are linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, lung disorders, and adverse effects on the development of the fetus during pregnancy.”
One out of every three e-cigarettes marketed in Australia contains unpermitted quantities of chemicals and may result in harmful conditions like “popcorn lung.”
Nearly one-third of vapes marketed in Australia contain banned quantities of substances associated to dangerous lung conditions including “popcorn lung.”
The Therapeutic Goods Administration discovered chemical concentrations over the legal limit in 31% of the 214 e-cigarettes it examined.
These contained the chemicals diacetyl and vitamin E acetate, which are well known to cause bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare disease that harms the lungs’ tiny airways.
Because diacetyl was formerly used to color microwave popcorn, the illness is also known as “popcorn lung.”
The TGA discovered that every one of the 190 nicotine vape items it examined violated the new labeling regulations intended to alert consumers to possible risks.
The forbidden substances are known to induce lung damage in the form of EVALI and bronchiolitis obliterans, according to a government body spokeswoman.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychotropic compound also present in marijuana, and vitamin E acetate are suspected to be the culprits behind EVALI, also known as e-cigarette or vaping device use-associated lung damage.
Federal regulation that was introduced in October of last year mandated warning labels and set minimum safety requirements for nicotine vapes imported from outside.
Additionally, buying nicotine vapes without a prescription was prohibited by law.
According to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the new legislation are intended to reduce the danger of nicotine vaping uptake in young people while simultaneously enabling existing smokers to have access to the products for quitting (TGA).
In Australia, prescription holders may still buy nicotine vaping items from a pharmacist or import them from foreign websites.
Only one of the 80 authorized prescribers or a physician with authorization under the TGA’s Special Access Scheme B may write prescriptions.
A GP who is registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration is required to be an authorized prescriber of nicotine vaping products.
The Australian Council on Smoking and Health supports the new legislation despite opposition from pro-vaping groups (ACOSH).
According to Chief Executive Maurice Swanson, “ACOSH firmly supports any policy that would successfully prevent the flow of illicit disposable e-cigarettes into Australia that are being used by a growing number of children and teens.”
The use of e-cigarettes by children and teens is a subject of rising concern.