With the rising popularity of vaping, debates surrounding e-cigarette legislation and its health implications continue to grow louder as a result of increased risks and addictions. Yet, within these various conversations about the legislation of e-cigarettes, the questions surrounding the ways its regulation affects marginalized communities more harshly is rarely ever discussed.
For many in marginalized communities, e-cigarettes are preferred over traditional tobacco products as they are generally cheaper and aren’t as harmful. In fact, e-cigarettes contain less toxicity than conventional tobacco products. However, don’t let false advertisements on social media and its various flavors fool you as vaping can still negatively impact people’s health with severe risks and addictions.
As a result of these countless debates, the legislation of e-cigarettes varies around the world. For instance, some countries have permanently banned the product, while others have categorized e-cigarettes as tobacco products or as a different product altogether. In the United States, specifically, e-cigarettes face the same restrictions traditional tobacco products face.
E-Cigarettes And Its Impact On Health and Wellbeing
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Unfortunately, America isn’t as progressive as we like to believe it to be and that’s most evident in how we enact our public policies. It’s no secret that marginalized communities, including racial minorities and low-income individuals, face the most consequences of tobacco-related health issues.
Even if e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to tobacco, marginalized communities may still deal with disparities in the public without fair regulation. What’s more? Without proper oversight, tobacco companies could take advantage of marginalized communities because there’s nobody to keep them in check.
E-Cigarette Legislation Among Youth Populations
With the marketing of e-cigarettes, even the youth aren’t safe from their marketing tactics. Specifically, the marketing behind flavored e-cigarettes usually targets teenagers and young adults, which further raises the issue of the legislation of e-cigarettes.
Despite rising additions among youth, marginalized communities are still concerned about the fairness surrounding any laws on the purchase of e-cigarettes among the youth. In addition to these aggressive marketing tactics, faulty age verification practices further contribute to strengthening the cycle of youth addictions.
Accessibility and Affordability of Vaping Products
Another concern surrounding the legislation of e-cigarettes is their accessibility and affordability. By having more regulations, stricter laws could limit access to tools providing harm reduction for these marginalized communities. Likewise, low-income individuals may not be able to adopt safer alternatives to smoking as they can’t afford them.
Outside of health risks associated with e-cigarettes, marginalized communities could be exposed to more criminalization as well. With the legislation of e-cigarettes heavily debated, marginalized communities could face more criminal penalties and heavier fines. As a result, these communities could be further pushed into poverty because of a criminal record.
What Can We Do Going Forward
To address the concerns made by marginalized communities, policymakers must approach the legislation of e-cigarettes differently. For starters, policymakers should focus on regulations protecting vulnerable communities from exploitation by ensuring all public health issues are handled with equity and fairness.
Furthermore, we should push for comprehensive education on e-cigarettes to inform the public of the risks of using these products. Alongside educating the public, we must debunk myths surrounding e-cigarettes and youth addictions, that way we can make more informed decisions regarding the legislation of e-cigarettes that makes marginalized communities feel safe.
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