Like students at countless colleges spanning the nation, odds are that you have been bombarded by a growing epidemic that for many goes either undetected or blatantly ignored. The toxic epidemic that I speak of is, of course, the electronic cigarette. The government has not brought down harsh regulations on this industry as it has with tobacco.
If you watch television, odds are that you have been introduced to e-cigarette advertising schemes. Last night, as my roommate drifted off to sleep he rudely kept the remote in his bed. I was forced to enjoy countless episodes of Workaholics and South Park when out of nowhere Jenny McCarthy popped up on the screen. For those who don’t know, McCarthy is a very attractive ex-Playboy model. Long story short, she was yapping about how amazing this new e-cig she had in her hand was, how she has been a chain smoker for years and basically how God himself handed us this wonderful gift that will change the world. While the guys in the think tank at the electronic cigarette company advertising room think they have struck gold landing some blonde bombshell that most people recognize drawing attention to their product, all I see is the same woman, admittedly a smoker, who has spent the last several years telling people not to get vaccinated because she so unintelligently thinks that vaccinations cause autism. Never in her mind did she consider that maybe autism occurred naturally or because of things like smoking.
Probably the biggest issue regarding this new industry is how deceptive their marketing is. If you walk down my local mall back home, you will surely have no fewer than three sales clerks, ages 20 to 25, with gauges in their ears, harping on about how there are no ill effects associated with the product that they are pawning. The fact is that this product is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The American Cancer Society wants these things off the market because they do in fact contain carcinogens and other toxins. In some brands, there are ingredients that are used in antifreeze. The jury is still out of the safety of second-hand vapor. Another big lie those clerks like to throw around is that e-cigs will help you with nicotine-dependence, when in fact many contain that product.
This is not as much an article about electronic cigarettes as much as it is how easily our culture enables a few sleazy advertising executives to dominate what we do and control our health. This is no different than the controversy regarding McDonald’s happy meals and how some feel toys should be banned because the kids annoy their parents about taking them there. The tobacco industry got away with subliminal advertising for years until the government stepped in.
Eventually the same will be done with this emerging electronic cigarette industry, but until that happens one must ask themselves before purchasing them, can they trust some young person in their early 20s that makes commission off of each sale to dictate what is and is not healthy?
Dan Maloney is a sophomore studying biological science and a columnist for The Post. Email him at dm933612@ohiou.edu.
