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Essay / The epidemic of e-cigarettes and vaping across the United States
As a middle school student, my father warned me about the dangers of smoking. His relentless resistance to cigarette smoking began after seeing its deteriorating effects on my late grandmother. His warnings and difficulty breathing discouraged me from smoking. I applied this same principle to e-cigarettes and vaping. Vaping became increasingly popular during my eighth grade, and by my junior year of high school, a large percentage of my classmates were possessing and hiding their illegally obtained vapes from parents and school faculty members. This “vaping” crowd continued to grow throughout high school with the introduction of new products such as Juuls, Infinixes, and Sourins. This group became so large in fact that as a high school student I was in a minority of students who did not use vapes regularly. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Today, I am grateful for my lack of sensitivity to peer pressure during the recent vaping epidemic that swept the United States. According to Colin Dwyer in "Store Owners Resist State Vaping Bans As 'A Death Sentence for Their Business,'" more than 800 cases of lung injury have been reported across the country due to a history of e-cigarettes or vapes, of which twelve have been reported. led to death. These startling statistics have prompted the government to take steps to suppress vaping use by banning e-cigarettes and e-cigarette flavors. These prohibitions; are, however, the subject of strong criticism. While I believe stricter regulations on vaping products are needed, San Diego should not ban all e-cigarette products citywide because there are better alternatives to protect teens while still allowing legal access to electronic cigarettes. The FDA has regulatory authority over vaping products. cigarette products, and while their main priority is to ban the sale of these products to minors, the recent vaping epidemic has prompted the Trump administration to also propose a ban on e-cigarette flavors. Despite this, Trump is not the first to encourage banning e-cigarette flavors. Dwyer points out that Michigan took the lead in banning flavored vaping products and other states have since followed suit. Likewise, Dwyer acknowledged other steps taken by some states to stop sales of all vaping products, such as Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. Governor Baker called the vaping outbreak a “public health emergency,” before banning the distribution of all vaping products for four months. Baker wants to properly diagnose the causes of recent lung outbreaks, better oversee the distribution of vaping products and protect the safety of its residents. Without federal support, Baker's bans and those on vaping flavors are in direct violation of the Supremacy Clause, which states that federal rule is superior to state rule unless federal laws override in conflict with the Constitution. Because federal law is supreme, no matter what a state wishes to do, it must remain within the bounds of the Constitution, including the Supremacy Clause. These bans demonstrate executive overreach by violating the separation of powers principles of the state constitution, and many retail store owners.