Letter of the Day | Vaping needs regulation

THE EDITOR, Madam:

In recent times, vaping has become hugely popular among young Jamaicans, offering an idyllic, albeit false, oasis in the form of a safer option to traditional smoking. But hold on a moment before you take that puff of vapour! Despite its trendy allure, vaping comes with its own set of health concerns, much like its smoky cousin.

You see, the mist that swirls from e-cigarettes isn’t just harmless water vapour. It’s packed with nasty stuff, like nicotine, heavy metals, and other chemicals that can really mess with your lungs and heart.

It’s got educators and health folks shaking their heads in worry. Andre’ A.O. Wellington, dean of discipline at Alston High School, knows first-hand how tempting these gadgets are for students, and how they can lead down a slippery slope to tobacco addiction and other health troubles.

And if that weren’t enough, some Jamaican youth are getting crafty with their e-cigs, tinkering with them to smoke other stuff, like weed, super-concentrated THC, even hard drugs like cocaine and magic mushrooms.

Now, that’s a recipe for disaster, healthwise. Dr Christopher Tufton, our minister of health and wellness, isn’t pulling any punches when he talks about how vaping is just adding to the pile of health problems our kids face.

The Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control is waving the red flag, calling for a total ban on e-cigs to keep our young ones safe and sound, echoing the World Health Organization’s call to stub out smoking and vaping in schools worldwide.

But it’s not just our bodies that are at risk. Those throwaway e-cigs are wreaking havoc on our environment, too, with their plastic bits clogging up our land and seas.

Some smart folks suggest hitting tobacco companies where it hurts – in the wallet – by slapping them with hefty taxes for peddling e-cigs. They also reckon it’s time for those companies to clean up their mess by collecting and recycling all those butts and bits, with the cash going towards making Jamaica healthier.

It’s high time we put the brakes on this vaping craze, tighten up the rules, and make sure our kids have a brighter, healthier future.

L. H. DEER