How We Became Hooked on Vaping

The article explores the rise of vaping and the public health concerns it has generated. Here’s a breakdown of the key points:

From Smoking Cessation to Youth Epidemic: Vaping emerged with the intention of helping smokers quit. However, lax regulations and appealing flavours like “Cherry Fizzle” made it attractive to young people, sparking an epidemic.
Juul: The Game Changer: The Juul e-cigarette gained immense popularity due to its sleek design, youth-oriented marketing, and variety of flavours. This success, however, raised ethical concerns within the company itself.
Regulatory Cat-and-Mouse Game: Governments struggled to keep up with the evolving vaping industry. Bans on certain flavours led to a rise in disposable vapes with the same flavours, creating a loophole and hindering public health efforts.
Uncertainties and Long-Term Effects: While some medical professionals acknowledge vaping’s potential to aid smoking cessation, the long-term health risks, especially for developing brains and lungs, remain largely unknown.

The article concludes with the notion that the true dangers of vaping may be slowly revealing themselves, raising concerns about its widespread use.

The article also briefly reviews the eight-part podcast “Cocaine Inc.,” which delves into the global cocaine trade through various local stories.

Here are some of the podcast’s intriguing aspects:

Exposing the Mechanics: The podcast sheds light on the intricate workings of the cocaine trade, including the corrupt practices employed by officials to facilitate drug movement.
Compelling Narratives: The podcast features real-life stories, including a ruthless cocaine kingpin who resorted to extreme violence and a beautician who became entangled in drug money laundering.
Human Cost: The podcast emphasises the devastating human impact of the cocaine trade, exemplified by the tragic story of a young woman killed in a gangland shooting.