There's a teen vaping epidemic afoot and it's become pretty clear over the last year or so that vaping companies are targeting young people with their marketing and product design — e-cigarette giant Juul has recently agreed to restrict its youth advertising practice.
It's something that concerns The Daily Show's Trevor Noah, who unpacked the e-cigarette and vaping industry, comparing its steady rise to that of the real cigarette industry, starting with the role of celebrity endorsement.
"That's just irresponsible," said Noah. "Celebrities shouldn't be endorsing addictive substances to their fans, which is why the only product I endorse is cabbage.
"Cabbage: It's the one thing you definitely won't get addicted to."
Noah noted that members of the vaping industry aren't "bad guys" for advertising a product, but for who they're deciding to target with their marketing: young people.
"When you look at everything from vape pen designs to their outreach, you don't have to be a genius to realise they wanted their products in the hands of teens," said Noah. "And the flavours are probably the biggest red flag of all. I mean, mango, cotton candy, jelly donut, these things are so targeted to kids I'm shocked that they didn't have like a breast milk flavour."
Noah noted that Juul, for one, has ditched their fruity flavors (including the most popular with teens, mint), which have been proven to have contributed to the prominence of youth vaping.
"It might be a little too little, too late. Because countless teens are already addicted to vaping, and schools across the country are struggling with the outbreak," said Noah.
"Look, I think we can all agree that neither kids nor schools should be responsible for fixing this addiction crisis that companies like Juul have helped create. If anything, e-cigarette companies should be forced to pay for the damage they've purposefully caused."
Topics Health The Daily Show Trevor Noah
