Opinons on underaged vaping (under18)

[Scottitude]

...I know my kids better than any government agency.

Unfortunately, many government agencies would beg to differ and argue that they not only know what's best for your kids but what's best for you (and me) as well.

 

[shoey]

IF the FDA wasnt breathing down our necks .............. rather they do this than smoke

......... .

^ stopped here.

 

[Kevin Freeheart]

But, should they be able to buy it? Absolutely not! It's my prerogative as a parent to choose how to handle it, I know my kids better than any government agency.

I share most of the sentiment but came to the OPPOSITE conclusion. Parents have house-rules and income that can prohibit vaping, smoking, et cetera if it were legal. A law preventing my son from purchasing his own vape fluid, however, WOULD stand in my way (as a parent) from making the decisions that best suited my household.

 

[DaDuke]

I think too many people forget what it was like and how they were when they were a teen. I saw the truth of that when i was a teen and made a promise to myself 35 years ago that i wouldn't forget. I believe mine was the typical path most teens took to get hooked on cigs. I started because most of my friends smoked and i wanted to fit in. I didn't say "oooh, i want to try some nicotine". I would've been more than happy to vape a 0 nic ecig if it was a choice. I also didn't think about the addiction factor that much and the liitle thought i did devote to it was from a viewpoint of not believeing how addictive it really was. As most "immortal" teens, i figured it was overblown by weak willed people and i would be different if I ever wanted to quit. The fact that addiction didnt start to set in for over a year only reinforced that belief system.

Studies have shown that most smokers start in their mid teens and very few start after the age of 20. We should be looking at ways to help kids that have already decided to smoke or are already smoking. If society could pull the corn cob out of their collective arses, they might actually be able to prevent so many teens from becoming addicted in that 5-10 year danger zone. I applaud the strategy of education and anti-smoking advertizing geared at this goal however it is not enough.

Of course with that all being said, i do not think it's something we should promote for obvious reasons. That would be better left for a future time when the overall issue of vaping has been settled and clinical studies have proven it to be safe. Once that has been achieved then those that believe as I that this would be the answer to reducing teenage smoking would have the legal ammunition to push forward. At this time it would not merely be counterproductive, it would be complete legal suicide.

If I discovered that one of my kids was sexually active, I'd buy them condoms and put them on the pill.
If I found out they were smoking, I'd get them a PV and let them share my juice.
If I found out they were drinking or doing drugs, I'd lock them in their room and they'd never see the light of day.
Ignoring it won't make it go away, but we can try to protect them from harming themselves.

But, should they be able to buy it? Absolutely not! It's my prerogative as a parent to choose how to handle it, I know my kids better than any government agency.

Ah my dear, you are a dying breed that doesn't believe the government should mandate everything for everyone in every matter. Shame on you, all hail big brother... err, i mean "uncle" sam

 

[Pheisty]

If I discovered that one of my kids was sexually active, I'd buy them condoms and put them on the pill.
If I found out they were smoking, I'd get them a PV and let them share my juice.
If I found out they were drinking or doing drugs, I'd lock them in their room and they'd never see the light of day.
Ignoring it won't make it go away, but we can try to protect them from harming themselves.

But, should they be able to buy it? Absolutely not! It's my prerogative as a parent to choose how to handle it, I know my kids better than any government agency.

Here, here. Couldn't have said it better, myself.

However, we all know that common sense means very little in America these days. Especially in a society that believes that 'it takes a village to raise a child'.

I do find it fascinating that sex causes an equal amount of lifelong issues and heartache (and costs an incredible amount of money...hello? Illegitimacy? Baby Mamas and Daddies? Welfare?) as smoking...maybe in different ways, but it's still as destructive...so it's encouraged to hand out condoms and BC in schools to kids...but can you even imagine them handing out e-cigs? It's just another ridiculous double-standard.

Why is it that a typical 'social planner' believes that they can somehow get all kids to say "no" to smoking, but not to sex?

Personally, I'm a realist like you, Rosa. I realize that there will always be a segment of the youth population that smoke, drink, and have sex. The question is why our society is so selective about which of these three things they actually believe that they can get kids to abstain from, and/or the methods used to convince them to engage in safer alternatives?