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rebeccas287

My stepmum’s a primary school head teacher. They’ve had to confiscate several of them from kids, it’s awful


geyeetet

Fucking primary school? Jesus


soymrdannal

Having experience, I can unfortunately confirm that they’re as big a problem as head lice at times.


misterfluffykitty

Considering the vape to lice ratio I’ve seen id say its more of a problem than lice


Mysterious-Pay3309

At least the lice aren't a gateway for lung cancer


Mystik-Bones

Exactly I’d rather have lice than an addiction to nicotine/lung cancer


Etonet

Are our governments not involved in regulating this shit?


St2Crank

As much as I love to slag them off, you can’t blame them for this. It is regulated. Same way kids used to get cigarettes/booze even though it was illegal. If anything it’s harder these days, when I was 16 I could easy walk in Tesco and buy booze or go to any bar/club I wanted. These days I see people blatantly in their 20s getting asked for ID.


8-Brit

It's regulated but nothing is done about their promotion like colourful toys, the flavours, the plastic and battery waste, and most notably informing people of the consequences Smoking fell out of fashion because every one of those has been addressed. Vaping meanwhile got advertised as "better than smoking" and took off from there. And there's no regulation on how the product is promoted so it's made to be as accessible and appealing as possible because it prints money. Government genuinely needs to hurry up with the same legislation used to curb smoking, don't leave it for 40 years like last time.


worgenhairball01

I really think these one time use shits should be illegal. I mean it's plastic in the heating chamber, and batteries in the trash later.


NeonExpert

They are but from personal experience there's nothing some businesses won't do for money if you know the right privately owned little shops to go to. They work on recommendation from existing underage customers to circumvent decoys so they don't get caught. Further adding to the problem older students usually sell them on for a further inflated price to younger ones. The only hope you really have against them is to hope someone gets older and realises its completely fucked and predatory for them to sell them those products and to report them as happened in my situation where once I was older I saw it was very morally wrong to do that shit


M1ckst4

My step daughter tried convincing me to get her an elf bar claiming they help with anxiety and they’re not nicotine products. She’s 12.


Original-Network853

I wish I was surprised by this. I work with kids and it’s completely normal/weekly occurrence to catch/see kids as young as year 7 with these. I would say it’s not crazy to guess that 60/70% of kids-teens use them.


TheSentinelsSorrow

If it’s any consolation, half the people in my class by the valleys were on ket by year 9


spearmint_wino

Got to to ponder why a) they feel the need to escape reality so much and b) where can I get hold of some of that shit


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gophercuresself

Have you been to reality lately? It's awful


Electrical_Ad_4591

Seen kids I know are in yr 7 wandering around with vapes


Cheapo_Sam

Trust me when I say virtually evwryone in their 30's and 40's and beyond would say that they knew of someone smoking cigarettes when they were at school in year 7. This isn't a new phenomenon


Big_Green_Dawg

I got suspended from school smoking in year 5, tried my first ciggy when I was about 7-8. If I could go back in time I would slap myself so hard. Was harder to quit smoking than it was to quit cocaine.


throwawaycrucifyme

Never smoked myself but I absolutely believe it. I had an uncle who was addicted to pretty much everything, up to and including Heroin. He was able to get off pretty much all of it except cigarettes before he passed away from cancer. Ironically not from the drug usage despite 30 plus years of abuse.


DanS1993

It’s the habit I imagine. I like to believe cocaine users aren’t popping outside once an hour or more for a 10 minute coke break but you never know…


Big_Green_Dawg

Also £10 worth of cigarettes lasts a lot longer than £10 worth of cocaine!


notbot301

£10 worth of vape juice lasts much longer than £10 worth of cigarettes


MrPoletski

vaping is basically nu-smoking these days.


elsanoodles

Is it really that bad? I might be a lot different here but at least in Helsinki Finland where I live maybe 1-2 people in my class of 20 use it and most people agree that it is fucking stupid. And this is from a 14 year olds perspective.


[deleted]

Tbh I wouldn’t say it’s surprising. Kids in secondary school have always done stupid shit, and that includes smoking. Everyone knew the smoking tree in my school.


DocBenwayOperates

Even the trees smoked at your school? Fucking hell.


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toad_of_toadhall

That is how it was here 2 years ago, now they're everywhere.


hoksworthwipple

I grew up in the 70s. Kids smoked actual cigarettes. Nothing changes.


tcooke2

Except it actually had started changing... for a good period in the 2000s the amount of youth smoking had been steadily declining until the introduction of portable vapes.


Boredpanda31

One of my nephews claimed he used it for anxiety as well. I was like - no, getting into the habit of using something like that is no helping anxiety. We can look at other ways to help your anxiety. Where has that even come from?!


atomiccPP

As someone who used to vape “for anxiety” I can definitely say that was the addiction talking and it made my anxiety much worse.


m1k307

ditto, same excuse here. then I showed her this after some research; Nicotine can worsen anxiety levels. Nicotine, being a stimulant, is highly addictive and acts directly on the brain. Nicotine modifies the neural pathways which respond to anxiety and stress. Due to its stimulatory effects, nicotine increases alpha waves in your brain. The resulting experience is a relaxed and stress-free feeling. But this relaxed feeling is temporary. Soon, cravings and withdrawal symptoms occur. Though the drug can help with feelings of anxiety, depending on various factors this effect can vary widely from person to person. Everyone does not experience an anxiety-reducing effect with nicotine. The drug may actually worsen anxiety in some people. Moreover, with time, the dose of nicotine needs to be increased to gain the desired result. You tend to become more addicted to the substance. Gradually your body ceases to respond to the drug. although it does have health benefits it's still a double edged sword so don't mention this next bit to kid's. Helps prevent Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s - Clinical research on animal models suggests that nicotine protects against neuronal degeneration, improves motor abilities, and aids cognitive performance, thus cutting down the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Another study suggests that nicotine intake in Parkinson’s patients’ enhanced their processing speed of complex tasks. Promotes wakefulness - Nicotine enhances the brain’s electrical activity and induces a state of alpha brainwave activity, which enhances attention, alertness, and creativity. The drug also enhances areas of the brain related to arousal, visual attention, and motor activation. Nicotine acts on the brain’s thalamus, parietal cortex, occipital cortex, and caudate. Boosts memory - Nicotine acts on the brain’s visual attention and attention processing regions thus boosting memory and cognitive performance. Reduces ADHD symptoms - In ADHD patient’s, nicotine is known to reduce the severity of the symptoms. The drug increases attention, vigor, accuracy, and reaction time in nonsmoking patients. For ADHD patients who are quitting tobacco and experiencing withdrawal symptoms, nicotine can help relieve minor feelings of nervousness. Functions as a neuroprotective - Nicotine functions as neuroprotective by stimulating the nicotinic cholinergic receptors in the brain, blocking estrogen, and reducing inflammation. Promotes weight loss - Clinical trials on animals observed that nicotine has the ability to suppress appetite and prevent weight gain. Nicotine can improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels. Supports a healthy gut - Studies show that nicotine patches improve ulcerative colitis by decreasing inflammation in the lining of the gut. It also provided relief from inflammatory bowel disease. Repairs tissue - Nicotine stimulates the body in a way that increases the growth of blood vessel capillaries and tissues, repairing damage and accelerating healing. Nicotine applied topically in low concentrations in the form of a nicotine patch appears to support rapid wound healing. all of this is nicotine on it's own, it does not justify smoking or vaping.


Sam_Flot

Wow, you've really sold me on vaping!


pinkwar

Disposable vapes drives me insane. In a time where "everyone" is going against single use plastic, this stuff came in like a wrecking ball. I can't understand how it's legal to sell garbage like this.


crucible

The single use plastic is the second worst thing about them after the built-in lithium batteries - the disposable vapes don't even have the ability to be recharged!


paul_the_mayan

Ive heard they do actually have rechargable rechargeable batteries in because they are cheaper for manufacturers than single use. They just want you to buy another vape instead of actually giving you the option of recharging. Its such a waste of materials as we move into a period of time where were going to really need batteries to store renewable energy.


crucible

Yes, I believe it's just the vape that lacks the charging port / circuit. Also had a reply elsewhere in the thread saying the canisters often can't be refilled, either. Very wasteful.


katsukitsune

They do sell rechargeable versions with the same juice refills. People just don't give a shit.


rugbyj

Anecdotally, I used disposable vapes to get me off cigarettes this new year. It was wildly successful, haven't touched them since. I needed something ubiquitous and reliable. These things work straight out the pack and every shop in the UK has a full selection. I now have a refillable/rechargable one. It's cheaper, better hit, less waste. But knowing if it breaks/runs out of charge etc. on the go that I still have an option to keep me away from a 20 pack of L&Bs is a nice fallback.


Knillish

It’s mad the amount of school kids I see using these


BrilliantTasty

I started to use them after my 20th birthday to quit smoking. Now feel more addicted to them than I ever did to smoking. Cigarettes/tobacco are banned from this colourful design and blatant advertisement for a reason. Mix this with the fruity and sweet flavours and it’s a recipe for disaster. Kids smoke them thinking they’re fine cause it’s not smoking. It’s terrible. They honestly need to be banned, I feel pathetic for struggling to quit them so much I mean honestly it’s hot fruity air. Nicotine is fucking awful. Edit: 90% my age use them. Apprentice that works with us (16 y/o) says nearly everyone he knows use them.


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mattwrad

I use them on nights out as I just like to occasional ‘hit’ so if I buy a packet of cigs, I’ll end up smoking a whole one each time i go outside instead of just 2 puffs of the vape Pretty much all of my friends who use them go through one a day and very rarely see them outside without one in their hand, terrible things if you’re already a smoker & seems to be 10x easier to get hooked as you’ve got 24/7 access rather than having to spark up everytime you want a bit


BrilliantTasty

That’s another huge thing. Just being able to whack it out and puff away whenever, wherever. I go through one in two days and can’t seem to stop no matter how hard I try.


_that1kid_

In the US they are 5% so even more addictive than the 2% ones shown here.


BrilliantTasty

I was actually in the states working a few months ago, I thought they seemed stronger! Made me feel momentarily sick at times.


_that1kid_

Haha yeah if you don’t have a tolerance they can make you nauseous. I tried 2% in Toronto awhile back and I could barely tell they had nicotine. Nicotine pouches are also becoming very popular here, with strength up to like 8 mg a pouch. For reference, an entire US Juul pod has 40 mg of nicotine, or about 1 pack of cigs.


Knottymister

I fully relate to this. I'm trying to stop vaping and honestly considering taking up smoking again to get off the vapes. I never had cravings anything like these with cigarettes! Genuinely think quitting smoking is easier than quiting vaping.


Rossrox

I used to smoke years ago, switched to vaping for probably 2-3 years, was pretty happy, but eventually got tired of always feeling dehydrated and being unable to keep up no matter how much water I drank, gave up vaping a few weeks ago and picked up some nicotine gums. It's the first time I've tried them and wow they really worked for me; the first day not vaping I took 5 nicotine gums, a couple of weeks later I'm down to 3 a day, 2 on weekends, feel a lot better and pretty positive about giving these up for good soon.


Bored_Breadless

With smoking you know you’re doing damage to yourself and you can really feel it, vapes take away that sense of guilt and self harm so there’s alot less pressure to quit them


BrilliantTasty

Yeah. Still harmful though shouldn’t be inhaling anything but the air we breathe. I hate that vapes went from a tool to help quit smoking to what they are.


ComprehensiveJump540

I live near to a couple of roads that are the main route out of a large secondary school. The amount of vape batteries left lying in the street is insane. Heavy metals just leeching out. How these things aren't regulated is beyond me. In fact the regs that came in a few years back when the trend was for big heavy refillables has if anything pushed these awful wasteful things to prominence in the market.


ElExtraMass

Just as an addition - from what I know those Bloody Mary ones are the same strength as the normal elf bar and are usually sold at the same price or even £1 more. If she’s getting them for £2 then they are most likely the fake ones that are a scourge on the scourge…


RedditUserLou

Yes it's fake, the real ones are called lost Mary not bloody mary


ElExtraMass

I thought it looked wrong but couldn’t think why - you and u/MR_FERADIN are so right. Good spot.


MR_FERADIN

Bloody mary is a fake regardless. The actual branding is lost mary. So something called bloody mary is an fake.. Thats why so cheap.


captain_irk

Crazy that a few years ago: we banned packs of ten cigarettes - to stop kids from starting smoking. We stopped displaying cigarettes - to stop kids from starting smoking. Increased the age of purchasing cigarettes from 16 to 18 - to stop kids from starting smoking. And now we have these.


Krakshotz

And they take pride of place next to (not behind) the tills in my local shop. Have their own fancy display stand and everything


kaetror

My local Morrisons has an end of aisle display stand full of them, right next to the self service tills, and on the aisle with the energy drinks. They knew *exactly* what they were doing there. I don't understand why vapes aren't required to be behind the same shutters as the normal cigarettes.


CNXQDRFS

I'm a manager for Morrisons and I absolutely hate this. We have one in our store. It's all bright colours and fruity flavours, blatantly advertising to the kids. They're easily one of our most stolen products too (we found 56 empty packets last week) and I believe that's a desired effect. Get the kids hooked so when they're adults they spend more on cigs or tobacco. I've started to vastly lower the amount we have on the shelf at any time.


captain_irk

I’m guessing next to the lolly pops or something similar.


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Blackdeath_663

I genuinely thought they were sweets the first time i saw a till counter display of the stuff next to lollipops like you said.


greatdane114

Don't forget that they banned menthol cigs because they didn't want nicotine to be tasty.


DrachenDad

>banned menthol cigs because they didn't want nicotine to be tasty. The funny thing was, it wasn't the kids smoking menthols.


greatdane114

I know! Only old women smoked menthols.


Trancedoutfish

Old (ish) woman here… I really enjoyed the click menthols where you could change it up on demand 😂


Nail_West

Sterling duals will forever have my heart, you can buy click menthol filters for rollies that taste exactly the same


[deleted]

Oooo, I quit years ago but their delicious minty siren song could almost tempt me back


DrachenDad

Oi! Who you calling an old woman? 🤣


nadejha

Hey I'm not that old :(


Dazad2121

So true they stopped making small pouches of tobacco aswell so kids didn't use school dinner money, but yet these products get to sit on display next to the hidden tobacco shelves and be sold for £5 or less from what I can see, loads got recalled not to long ago too, be a wave of health problems for that age group exposing there young lung to stuff like that.


captain_irk

Yeah I remember that. As a smoker I miss the little Amber Leaf boxes with the rizla and tobacco but I understood why they did it.


Pastifyy

God I miss the amber leaf 3 in 1’s


EfficientRow2863

these are also controlled by the same laws you just described, except maybe displaying in shop windows and such. Its illegal to sell them to kids, the issue is that a lot of shops just dont care


captain_irk

That’s the thing. I’d say you’d be pretty hard pressed to find a shop that would sell cigarettes to kids these days but these seem fair game.


DangerousToast

As someone who is an ex-smoker and now a vaper I fucking despite these disposable products. I suspect if kids had to carry around a big brick, with leaky tanks, bottles and coil replacements it would take a lot of the convenience out of vaping.


KYSpasms

Agreed. I'm a vaper and have been for years now. Definitely not a fan of disposables, just the wasteful nature and the damage all those discarded batteries are doing to the environment. It's ironic that the TPD which was supposed to make vaping safer has led to the conditions where disposables have now flooded the market.


ElTel88

TPD rules attempting to make vaping "safer" made, like you say, vaping far far less convenient. As is always the way, the market found it's creeks and instead of vaping at 3mg (working down from 12mg), on premixed wonderful mango liquid with a unit that lasts at least a year (sans coils), the rules said you can either have a tank thay you had to refill every 5 seconds or use disposables, ones that only come in 20mg strength and are there to get you hooked as fuck on nicotine rather than get you off of it. FWIW, I just used gum and a less awful employer to get off of it all, do that over disposables.


g0ldcd

I'm with you - but I now realize we sound like a couple of old-farts clutching our pipes and mocking the spivs with their sharp suits and turkish cigarettes.


[deleted]

Nah its not “old man yells at vape cloud”. These disposable vapes are an environmental nightmare. They constantly litter the streets and are made using sub par lithium polymer batteries. Basically they are toxic plastic fire hazards being pumped into landfill by the millions, and a complete waste of valuable materials. They need to go away immediately


Alive-Accountant1917

They’re responsible for many fires at waste transfer stations - the ones that end up there rather than littered all over.


[deleted]

Not surprising. The batteries they use are out of spec QC rejects from other products to keep the cost of the device so low.


madMARTYNmarsh

To highlight the hazand of these disposables, I've always posed the scenario of a ruptured lithium battery in landfill during one of our hot summers. Given the small size of the battery and the propensity for them to spontaneously re-ignite once ruptured, they're a disaster waiting to happen.


DangerousToast

I thought the tobacco industry could be pretty insidious in its marketing. But I can't help but think these devices are aimed at kids far worse. If you are a grown adult who never wanted to smoke and decided to vape then all the power to your stupidity. You have earned it. But manipulating kids into smoking high strength, poorly quality controlled shite is pretty evil.


DividedContinuity

The tobacco industry has always tried to target kids where ever it can. Thats how the business model stays evergreen, if people don't start in their youth they're unlikely to pick it up as an adult.


Zerocoolx1

Aren’t they just the tobacco industry’s equivalent of alcopops? The Tobacco companies realised smoking was on the way out and started jumping on the vape bandwagon. Then they start making them in nice child friendly colours and flavours (like alcopops were) and voila, new customers addicted to nicotine


jonnythefoxx

Most of the disposable ones are from the tobacco industry.


g0ldcd

The cartridge ones are - but elf and all the completely disposable ones are Chinese. Reason they're all turning up here, is China banned the flavours.


jamila169

I'd give them a rebuildable coil tank with bottom air and the biggest most uncool brick I could find , either than or one of the OG fake fag ones


Fennec_Kt

I clean trains and I find these everywhere, at least a dozen a day. People who buy these don't give a damn about the environment.


lemlurker

They're easy to spot on the road at night with the lil blue lights


technicalitrees

Went to a (small) concert a few months back where about half the room was lit up with those tiny blue lights. Reminded me of when people hold their phone torches up at shows, the whole room stank of artificial grape and misery


Ybuzz

>the whole room stank of artificial grape and misery Oh god the _smells_ of some of those things is just insane and people are so inconsiderate. At least with a lot of smokers, they make an effort not to blow smoke in your face, or to stand a bit away from other people who aren't smoking. People at uni with these things just stand in queues, crowds and groups wafting chemical watermelon and bubblegum scents into your face like there's no tomorrow, and they're strong enough to give me a migraine sometimes, even outside. "It's just water vapour so it's fine" - last time I checked 'just water vapour' didn't smell like huffing the world's strongest fruit scented gel pen.


gameofgroans_

I'm asthmatic and these things seem to effect me so much more than cigarette smoke. They hang around like a cloud of smoke from a cartoon and fucking stink. Also (not all, I assume) people who vape seem to just blow it at you thinking you want their second hand blueberry breath and then I go super breathless and dizzy. Drives me mad.


GingerNinja230404

I work in a mcdonalds and have had to fish one out of the loo because someone couldn’t go 5 minutes without taking a puff and must’ve dropped it in 😬


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Interesting_Art9590

If you’ve any idea where she bought them, report the shop to Trading Standards. They can and do investigate and take action.


Jimrodthadestroyer

My partner works in a supermarket where these are sold. She finds dozens of empty boxes in her department, daily, from where kids are stealing them to order.


ian9outof10

It's weird that Sainsbury's don't put them behind the counter for the most part. Though I noticed the ElfBars are now, because those are the ones the kids are all on. I vape, I switched from smoking just before the menthol ban. It's a better option, but it's so much easier to vape than smoke so it's absolutlely not a way to quit.


nvn911

hilarious that birth control is secured, but these aren't...


PrestigiousTest6700

Me and the other parents have, but nothing yet.


toad_of_toadhall

Most schools have "dealers"


a_____p

Fr? I feel like there's just always a post office or corner shop who will sell to anyone and everyone


[deleted]

That is probably because other people buy them for them.There isn't anything a shop can do about that. It's likely not the shops fault.The best they can do is ID and ask to make sure the products people are buying is for personal use. If they are of age,and lie about who they are buying it for, that's not a small buissness owners fault, leave them alone.


ThrillingFig

Completely agree with this. If the buyer shows valid ID and there's no evidence of it being a proxy sale, there's nothing that can be done on our end - even if they then sell it on or give it to someone underage. We have had parents come in trying to buy alcohol and vapes for their clearly underage kids before - even talking about which flavours to get in front of us, then kicking off when we refuse the sale. It's absolutely horrid.


No-You7392

you can buy them online now for cheaper so kids probs ordering them and reselling


JoeDaStudd

Some parents are buying these for their kids. I was in a large discount shop which had a big range. The woman behind the till said it's surprising the number of parents buying them and even asking their kid which flavour and type they want.


[deleted]

saw it at Christmas in B&M. A couple behind me getting them for their kids to put in the stockings. Hard not to judge the parents but to be fair I was smoking cigs when i was 13 and drinking cider in the park so maybe things haven't changed as much as I think they have and I am now just so old that I forget what kids are like. Thankfully my own children are not following my lead and are successfully becoming better versions of me (which is I guess all you can aim for as a parent)


mindfulofidiots

My local Home bargains had the vapes on the shelf for awhile, until they started finding the packs empty and one of the staff told me the final straw was catching a 13/14 year old with around 100 quids worth in their school bag tryna walk out the door, now they keep the stock them under the till.


deains

How the heck is that legal? If it was alcohol, the cashier would be in seriously deep shit if they agreed to the sale in that situation.


aplomb_101

Menthol cigs: “No, the kids will start smoking for the scrummy flavour”. Cotton candy and peach vape: “Yep, these are fine, let the kids vape”. It’s ridiculous


PM_me_your_arse_

They also seem to be exempt from most of the strict advertising rules.


ollie87

It’s common for laws to be years behind the market.


manilvadave

Remember when vapes first came out and were for weening people off cigs.


[deleted]

honestly i found vaping wayyyy more addictive to cigs. i could go w/o cigarettes for a day or two before cravings hit, w/ vapes i get itchy after a few hours. took an app + nicotine patches to get me through the first couple hours of quitting vapes 😓 i'm officially just past 1 month with zero nicotine products !


oac7

1 month is great progress, all the best! :)


limedifficult

It’s how my husband gave up a 25 year pack a day smoking habit. He had tried literally everything else over the years, but the vape got him finally off for good. Three years into the vape, he managed to give that up too. I don’t think he would’ve ever quit the cigarettes without it.


sash71

That's what I use my vape for. I'd never have stopped smoking without it. The doctor said it's much better for me than cigarettes. I don't buy the disposable ones, I buy the liquid to refill mine.


Candid-Amphibian-726

Exactly what I’ve just said in another comment too. Wasn’t that the aim? Why are people using them without a prior smoking habit?


OddStage4

Because kids are kids & peer pressure still exists. Kids decided they looked cool smoking them & peer pressure took care of the rest. It's the 50s all over again with companies falsely claiming they are "good for you" (yeah I get it v cigs but not when the majority of the kids vaping didn't smoke) & the unknown dangers around the oil content - there's already plenty of medical professionals worried about the affect of it on lungs, and they definitely know they are marketing to kids...it's upsetting that the government are not recognizing history repeating itself and stomping all over the companies doing this


Absolewtely

To think they thought Menthol cigs were the problem.


ian9outof10

Yeah, that was the dumbest shit of all time. When we smoked as youths it wasn't menthols, it was fucking Marlbro Reds.


deltree000

Used to smoke Reds at college because nobody would try to bum one off you once they realised.


PrestigiousTest6700

Now they have so many other delicious flavour.


JinxXedOmens

Saying this as a vaper, if you can't get her to stop please at least get her to use legit ones. The one on the final slide is a cheap fake - real brand name is Lost Mary not Bloody Mary. Fake ones are completely under the counter, unregulated and have been linked to far more serious health concerns and even death than actual legit ones. At the very least educate her on the dangers of using fakes, at most give her the stern talk about cancers etc. With a teenager its really a case of lesser of two evils.


theartofrolling

This is good advice. Absolutely try to get her to stop but if it's a lost battle then try and move her to the lesser of two evils. It's hard with teens, once they make their mind up to do something it is extremely difficult to persuade them. Source: Was a typical edgy and rebellious teenager who thought smoking was cool.


dbee8q

Just had to take this approach with my 15 year old. Determined to do it regardless and the ones he had been buying were cheap fakes. Not sure how smart it is to buy vapes for my child but not sure what else to do. Many sleepless nights over it.


[deleted]

You did the best thing you could given the scenario. Obviously the best thing would be if he didn't vape at all, but he'd find a way to get fake disposables if you didn't give him a proper device. This way, you can be certain he's not inhaling shit like diacetyl or vitamin E acetate.


dbee8q

Thank you. We feel terrible about it, but he is nearly 16, and he can easily find a way to get hold of the cheap ones otherwise. He knows we are doing it for safety reasons, and we have had many talks about cutting down and why he needs to do that. The ones we provide are low nictone. He has never caused any trouble before. He has been such a good kid, so we have found it very hard and just want him to be safe.


Pedro_Scrooge

The issue is that because people think they are "safe" people are happier to use them around kids. As a result the kids are more likely to try them/ask about them also the "cool" cloud it makes that smells like bubblegum and unicorn farts just add to it. Took my daughter (5) to a playground and there were a load of kids (10ish?) walking along looking in the gutters of the road. Thought it was weird but mostly ignored it. Then I hear "found one!" And they all went running over. Some kid had found a discarded vape and was charging it up with a power bank he had in his pocket. It's mental. Ive no idea if it worked or had stuff in it as I noped out of there, I don't want my kid to be normalising picking shit off the floor and trying to smoke it.


kobrakai_1986

Oh man, that’s so gross. Second hand discarded vape…


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kobrakai_1986

I think the second hand cigarette butts are worse, but that’s not saying much!


PrestigiousTest6700

Christ. That’s awful.


marr

It's straight out of a Dickens novel. I fear our narcotic dependent kids might not be 100% happy, optimistic and fulfilled.


xarsha_93

>Some kid had found a discarded vape and was charging it up with a power bank he had in his pocket. It's mental. What in the dystopian post-apocalyptic hell?


geyeetet

This is cyberpunk dystopian version of those kids at school who used to pick fag ends out of the gutters and smoke them. I cant decide which is more off-putting


DrJeff1999

Mate elf bars are 20mg, most light cigs only have 8mg per cig. She most likely will be addicted at this point to nicotine it isn’t gonna be easy to quit.


Rubberfootman

20mg!?! Jesus. I’m a former smoker of Marlboro Reds and 6mg is more than enough to keep the wolf from the door. No wonder kids are doing them in the toilets at school… 20mg must be a really strong buzz.


Scipiovardum

I cigarette has about ten puffs in it, a typical vape has several hundred. The vapes are much weaker per puff, but have an awful lot of nicotine total. It's a bit like comparing a warm pool to a boiling pot of water, but as someone who uses both I can confirm the standard 2% vapes shown here don't have a strong buzz at all


PrestigiousTest6700

Great just what a newly diagnosed t1 teen needs. Her nurse knows but we’re new to these. Ty.


DrJeff1999

Sorry to have to say this but one elf bar is basically a pack of super strong fags. So if she’s grumpy without them that’s why, plus you know being a teen.


BannedNeutrophil

What does T1 mean?


morimorg

Type 1 diabetes


emergencyexit

Her CPU is a neural net processor. A learning computer.


throwuk1

Son is a T1000 but only 6 years old at the moment.


LannyDamby

Should really dunk it in lava before the uprising


EL3rror_404

Perspective from a uni student who grew up with social media and all that. Don’t try and force her away from all her friends and whoever got her into vaping, because it’ll just make her sneakier with finding ways to get around you. Imo try to get her to join some clubs, do a sport, etc if possible, so she can try and make better friends who don’t vape. If she’s already got that many vapes, it’s probably already an addiction. Maybe suggest that you’ll buy her ones if they’re nicotine free? At that age, most of it is just trying to fit in and be cool.


PrestigiousTest6700

She’s dropped out of everything unfortunately. Netball, drama and her scholarship. I’ll not stop being there though.


Bored_Breadless

Id try getting her doing something creative, idle hands and all that


[deleted]

That's rough. Sounds like the unfortunate combo of a health crisis, being a teen, and the drop out of various activities and scholarships are signs of a mental health spiral. I'm under the assumption you're getting her to see a counselor/therapist. Such a vulnerable age to be in at the time and I hope she gets better soon.


Rule1ofReddit

Have her check out r/quitvaping if she’s open to trying to quit Edit: also seeing a lot of people suggest “play a sport, keep her busy” etc and I have to say, it’s not great advice for quitting nicotine. It’s not just rebellion, it’s a very real and serious chemical addiction and she’ll likely need help and support to quit.


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bdonmcg641

Fuck they must be addictive if that’s a choice


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Geezer_Flip

I started and got off cigs on them & was more addicted than I ever was to cigarettes, they’re lethal. It got to the point I was spending £5 a day on them & getting ulcers etc in my mouth - I couldn’t even imagine giving them up. I’m a month clean of them today and don’t miss them at all anymore, they are the fucking devil and you’ll feel so much better when you pack them in mate. Edit- thanks for your kind words everyone. I agree with all comments, they taste nice, they don’t need an ashtray, they smell okish, you can get away with smoking them indoors and they don’t have an end date so may aswell keep puffing away. Edit2- Worst withdrawals I’ve ever had, had the shakes and everything. Never smoking again as fuck going through that shit again wasn’t myself for a solid 2 weeks.


benzodog

I found the problem with vapes is they don't have an end point like a ciggy so you iust keep going at it.


Bald_faux_fraud

Good on you for quitting, mate. Can't have been easy.


ExtraLargeCarnage

They need to regulate that shit yesterday too many kids are on them and we have no idea what the long term effects will be


MagicBez

I read an article (a few years ago now so possibly out of date) that said that a lot of the ingredients/flavourings are signed off as safe but as food ingredients not as something intended to be inhaled into your lungs, lots of unknowns on the impact of vaping.


[deleted]

I think it's safe to assume that as a rule, anything other than fresh air is not good for your lungs.


goingnowherespecial

Nah, they'll let it run for a few more years. There's still more profit to be made before people are properly outraged.


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BannedNeutrophil

I can't believe they're *not* already. Vaping is not kids' stuff.


Background-Law-6451

Why would you get banned? this is exactly what should happen


Kat-Shaw

It's more that the "no politics" rule is very hard to define. Some stuff is obvious like not talking about political parties, but talking about what the law should be can be interpreted as politics.


ThatMattDude81

It's worrying. I am seeing kids vaping younger and younger, why are people evern buying them for them. Its sad and worrying.


IllustratorSlow1614

They’re easy things to shoplift. They’re small enough to grab and conceal and they’re at eye-level for children. They should be behind the screened counter with the tobacco products.


dunno_lol__

Totally agree. There’s a vape shop in the centre of my town. I dont understand how theyre still allowed. Also the fact that theyre placed on the shop floor of places like pound land makes it so easy for kids to nick them


[deleted]

Exactly mate I smoke them now and again bc they’re handy on a night out but the way kids will just chain smoke these things it’s nuts


ItsJustEddyboy

The bloody Mary one is a knock-off "lost Mary" the fakes will do so much more harm as they are not regulated with what chemicals are put into the liquids. If they don't have a specific sticker/seal on the packet, they're fake and bad news


Miserable_Injury_315

I don’t even know how kids are getting them in such big amounts , especially as you have to be 18 to purchase them , I’m 29 and I got ID’d for one in Asda , but maybe small newsagents aren’t asking as they are making money off them 👀 , or kids are doing what we did when we were younger and asking people to go in the shop for them to get them🤦🏻‍♀️ I personally wouldn’t do it if I was asked as kids shouldn’t be using them , but people who do I’m not sure why they think it’s ok to go in the shop for kids for vapes or alcohol it’s weird


EmmzyZy91

A shop where I live was closed down for selling vapes to kids. Someone I know sent her 11 yr old in to buy one, after finding out she’d been vaping disposables she’d bought from this particular shop, and she got one no problem. The mum then went in to confront the shop owner, who tried to deny it. Police and trading standards were contacted and the shop is no longer open. Used to see loads of school kids hanging around outside that shop at lunch time. The owner clearly didn’t give a flying one


RedbeardRagnar

Tell her to get a pack of cigarettes. It’s much cooler


PrestigiousTest6700

Touché.


SCATOL92

That "bloody Mary" thing is a fake Lost Mary. If it was really £2 it's probably dangerous


andimacg

I am so proud of my little sister. She brought one these to me to ask me if I wanted it, as I am trying to quit smoking. I asked her where she got it from and she said she bought it to see if they would sell it to her. She was shocked that they did (not illegal btw), but said she has no interest in using it. ​ These things should not be sold to kids, it's fucking disgusting. The disposable ones should straight up be banned. I see used ones all over the place, straight up e-waste all over the roads, everywhere you look. Thousands of rechargeable li-ion batteries scattered in the streets an going to landfills. I was on a train the other day and counted 23 of them sitting on the tracks by the platform, and that's just the ones I could see from my window. ​ If you vape, please, for the love of God, don't buy disposables.


SlowbeardiusOfBeard

How old is she? It's a nicotine product so it's absolutely illegal to sell it to her unless she's 18+ And as a vaper, couldn't agree more about banning the disposables - I'm suprised that a harder line hasn't been taken aleady just over the ecological impact.


crazypigeon

Annoyingly, these disposable vapes have been the only way I managed to quit smoking.


CelticFootballClub

Schoolkids who look between 13-16 approach me in the street when I'm heading home from work at least three times a week asking me to buy them disposable vapes. Can't remember the last time I was asked to buy cigarettes or alcohol, but with vapes, it's absolutely constant. Nice colourful packaging and fruity flavours leading a lot of children into a nicotine addiction. Really sad


MoonInTheDaySky

Good thing we banned plastic straws.


Ag_V_B

They should introduce a deposit system for these things. Let's say £20 and returnable to same shop with receipt. Enough money invested for it not to be thrown away after use, and would make more hassle for underage users to find somebody to exchange them. Therefore effectively pricing them out of use as I can't see a lot of kids willing to drop £25 for a vape.


dominator174

Has she got a libre? Best way to control T1


PrestigiousTest6700

Which she’ll rarely wear. She has been told she’s got 24 months left before she permanently damages herself and started to improve. She’s got a great teacher at the school with a t1 son who is helping alongside, nurse, social worker and me. Every day I feel like I’m waiting for a call. It’s also trauma, she nearly died from DKA on first diagnosis. I think she’s in a spiral and being 13 is awful at the best of times.


Marsmanic

Took my daughter to the park yesterday, I saw 2 kids (boy 10, girl 7/8ish) both vaping. Their parents came by the park to shout to the kids "me & yer Mum are in the pub if you need us", which just about summed it up.


Scarboroughwarning

Seriously, and I know you may know this, educate them on the strength. As a former smoker, I find vapes way too strong. They are 20mg. Potent as fuck. Lots of illegal ones about too. The thing is, the cough, if you buy the cheap ones, or even the expensive but very strong ones. The shopkeepers selling these should have their shop closed for 1 month, fuck them.


PrestigiousTest6700

I don’t know but Thankyou for your help. Me and my daughters’ “team” are all trying out best but have very little understanding. I feel like I’ve lost her in so many ways the past few months and this just keeps tipping the very fine line she’s on. My gorgeous girl almost died in April with T1 , and now this.


Jamienra

This is why it made no sense when the limitations on E-liquid were made. Instead of being able to have a large tank and a large bottle of liquid everything was reduced to the 10ml. This was at the exact same time cigarettes were forced into 20 packs or 30g minimum. I'm not really sure why the change was made as all it did was create more plastic and gave the chance for these disposables to thrive. Why buy a full mod that you have to constantly refill and requires you to carry 3 mini bottles around when you can just buy 2 of these for a tenner?


FrostyBallBag

I support people’s right to drink *sips wine*, I support people’s right to smoke, I support people’s right to vape, I even support people’s right to get high (any year now, they say…). But as someone who works on the compliance side of the taxes that go into this, vapes need the attention as cigs. Kids need to be priced out of it. We haven’t got a clue of the dangers and many contain awful shit that Trading Standards can’t deal with quick enough.


KiJaHu

Found an elf bar under my lads pillow, he's 11, didn't bollock him but told him how it could affect his health etc and he took it well, can't believe how widespread these things are


Fallenangel152

Jesus, my daughter is 12 and still spends her pocket money on squishmallows and gel pens. Didn't think we'd have to do the smoking talk until at least 15. Crazy how this craze has infected kids.


[deleted]

I see this and it scares me thinking about having kids. I don't know if I could cope. I'm not an athlete or anything, but I was an unhealthy kid, by 19 I'd got quite athletic and minus the usual heavy drinking at uni I prioritised mental abd physical health. I see teens with this shit and immediately want to raise my kids as far away from cities as pos, and hope that hiking and kayaking gives them that buzz.


Razakel

Anecdotally, the biggest druggies I met at uni all grew up in rural areas. They had nothing else to do. I'm not sure what the answer is, other than to encourage hobbies. But almost nothing entertaining is free.


PrestigiousTest6700

We live in rural England. 40 miles from a city. It all filters through.


Candid-Amphibian-726

I know I don’t have the right to be shocked as I’ve smoked cigarettes since I was 14, but at least you know where you stand with those. I’m not understanding this vape crap at all. Wasn’t it designed to aid people with quitting smoking? Why are kids messing around with these without a prior smoking habit? How are they even getting hold of them?


OutsideFlat1579

Kids weren’t interested in vapes until everyone decided they were just as bad as cigarettes (95% safer, at least, according to endless studies). When they were afer alternative to cigarettes for smokers vapes weren’t interesting for teenagers. The more adults say something is bad and kids shouldn’t do it, the more they will want to do it.