Candy Flavors Put E-Cigarettes On Kids' Menu
That's because her classmates were smoking an electronic cigarette, sometimes called a "vape pen." It's a hand-held, battery-powered device that vaporizes a liquid that is often infused with nicotine. You inhale the vapor through a mouthpiece, and exhale what looks like smoke. In this case the smoke smelled like candy.
"My favorite flavor is gummy bears because it tastes really good," Viviana says.
Vapor liquids come in various flavors, but teens often prefer dessert-inspired ones, which are more appealing than the smell and taste of burning tobacco. Marleny Samayoa, also in the 8th grade, thinks traditional cigarettes taste too bitter. "It has kind of a weird taste to it, like coffee without sugar," she says.
E-cigarettes are easier for kids to buy than regular cigarettes. There's no federal age restriction for how old you have to be to buy them. But some states, including California, prohibit the sale to minors. That's why middle-schoolers turn to online sites like E-bay, where independent sellers don't necessarily ask for your age.
"A lot of kids are getting them online," Marleny explains. "And they're just introducing it to a lot of other kids, and it just keeps going from there."
She has noticed the growing popularity of e-cigs on social media sites like Instagram. Look up #Vapelife and the pictures are endless. "I take pictures and do tricks, like blowing O's," Marleny says, "blowing them on flat surfaces and making tornadoes."
The Two-Way
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