Another misleading and biased headline from the media.
The BBC recently reported an incident where “Three children collapsed after inhaling vapes in Sleaford town centre”. This headline is incredibly misleading and is another prime example of the media bias against vaping. Let’s take a closer look at this ‘vape misuse’ and break down what happened and how this article is guilty of demonising vaping.
What Happened?
The news article explains that three children collapsed in Sleaford town centre after inhaling vapes. And that’s where the first sentence ends. After reading more, it becomes clear that other children gave vapes containing THC to the kids as a “prank” and fortunately, all the children fully recovered.
Next, the article discusses the importance of educating children about the risks of vaping and nicotine addiction, which is undoubtedly necessary. However, the problem lies in how the article was presented. We agree that minors should be properly informed about vaping, as its main purpose is to quit smoking. But, the the same is also true for drug use as a whole. The caption on a featured image also says “Parents are being warned after three school children collapsed in Sleaford after smoking vapes”, with absolutely no mention of THC or drugs.
While cannabidiol (CBD) is legal in the UK, products that contain THC aren’t. So, these products would not have been able to be bought from a reputable retailer.
Blaming vaping for issues caused by THC mirrors the US EVALI media outcry that occurred in 2020.
Vape Misuse and EVALI
During this media outbreak vaping was blamed for several deaths in the USA. This was when the term E-cigarette, or Vaping Product, Use Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) was first mentioned by the CDC. It has since been confirmed that these deaths were actually caused by users vaping a vitamin oil mixed with e-liquid, not from vaping as a whole. Substance misuse often has dire consequences and it shouldn’t be framed that vaping is the cause.
How Should This Article Have Been Handled?
Although not as damning as some articles that have been in the media, this piece was still framed in a way that blames vaping. A more appropriate approach would have been something along the lines of “Drug misuse causes the collapse of three children”. A focus on demonising vaping is completely against the UK Government support of it as a valid smoking cessation tool. The fact is that these children ingested an illegal drug, the delivery method is irrelevant.
Whilst this article was framed poorly, the overall message is still something that I agree with. Children should be warned against the potential harm from vaping, but only because nicotine is a highly addictive substance.
The main intention of vapes is to give smokers a healthier alternative to combustable cigarettes. But, an e-cigarette is just a delivery method and can’t distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be put in the tank. When users start to mix in substances that aren’t meant to be vaped is when it becomes dangerous. This also highlights the need for the government to provide solid advice regarding vaping to the public. E-cigarettes are engineered with the sole purpose of vaporising specifically designed liquids, nothing else.
