Dr. Manoj Sharma-

Dr. Sharma is a Professor of the Social and Behavioral Health Department and an Adjunct Professor in Internal Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He is a global expert in health promotion.
One city in the US, Dallas, has recently taken a bold initiative through an ordinance banning vaping in all locations where smoking is prohibited effective next December. This was suggested by the City of Dallas Environmental Commission and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability. As a result, along with smoking, vaping will be banned from all indoor and enclosed spaces, within 15 feet of building entrances and on the property of parks. Fitness centers, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses will need to update their signage to indicate that smoking and vaping are prohibited.
According to the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey in the United States, 6.9% of adults over the age of 18 were current e-cigarette users (i.e., past 30 days) with this prevalence being 18.6% among youth in the ages 18-24 years. More alarming is the recent data from 2024 among school children that has found that 3.5% of middle school students and 7.8% of high school reported current e-cigarette use.
Vaping or smoking e-cigarettes is quite harmful according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most e-cigarettes comprise nicotine, which is highly addictive and is particularly dangerous in pregnancy for the mother and the developing fetus. Both low birth weight and pre-term babies have been reported in e-cigarette users during pregnancy. Vaping poses special health hazards to children and youth. According to a study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, 80% of calls to US poison control units for e-cigarettes are for children under 5 years. The development of the brain among youth is also adversely affected by vaping particularly attention span, mood regulation, and controlling of impulsive behavior. It has also been demonstrated as a gateway drug for other drug use. A recent study published in the journal, Ophthalmology, found a higher risk of vaping with uveitis, a potentially serious eye condition that causes inflammation in the middle layer of the eye, called the uvea.
The mechanism of aerosol which is used in e-cigarettes is also a storehouse for several harmful products some of which can cause cancer. Some flavoring agents that are used in e-cigarettes may be safe for ingestion but are irritants in the respiratory tract. Some heavy metals found in vape smoke such as lead, tin, and nickel are harmful to the body and can cause allergies and accumulations.
Vaping is also a cause of safety hazards whereby batteries used in e-cigarettes have caused fires and explosions. Many of these occur while charging the batteries. Special care must be taken to prevent such hazards from happening.
For those trying to quit vaping nicotine, withdrawal becomes an issue. This is associated with irritability, anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, poor concentration, and strong urges to take nicotine. Behaviorally robust programs must be employed to foster quitting vaping behavior. One such fourth-generation theory is the multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change that promotes to initiation of quitting vaping, a step-by-step building of behavioral confidence, changes in the physical environment, and being convinced of the advantages over disadvantages. To sustain the behavior change, the theory proposes to mobilize changes in the social milieu, converting feelings into goals and continual active reflection on the behavior change. So, both policy change and behavior change measures are needed to curb the growing epidemic of vaping.