There isn't just one course of action that is going to solve the problems going on in America with the abuse of underage smoking and the relation to E-Cigarettes. We live in a culture where social media is the biggest influence on kids lives, and if everyone is doing it on social media, then people naturally will have the urge to vape to "fit in".
I believe to help significantly reduce the amount of kids underage smoking, the steps that Juul has made, will make a difference and the future changes FDA plans on making will make even more changes in a positive way. Creating awareness of the potential harms and risks associated with Juul'ing is something that also needs to be focused on. Nicotine addiction can be dangerous, and people need to be informed enough before they get themselves addicted. I believe the biggest thing that could significantly reduce the amount of underage people using these E-Cigarettes however is scientific proof or evidence that it's bad for individuals.
Everyone I know that Juul's or vapes truly believes that there is nothing wrong with vaping because it has no harm to the body. But the biggest thing is that we aren't sure of that yet. There was a time 50 years ago when smoking cigarettes was cool and only provided individuals with benefits, until science years down the road revealed it was leading several users to lung cancer and other serious health issues.
Between the age restrictions being raised, the FDA locking down on E-Cigarettes, and the attempt to lower the publicity of Juul on social media, I do think we will see a slight decrease in the amount of people using these products. The biggest goal is to just prevent future kids from picking up a Juul and to begin smoking.
If I had to choose an ethical framework to back up my reasoning it would be the teleological framework with focus on utilitarianism. No matter what decisions are made, some people are going to get the short end of the stick. Whether it's current smokers who really depend on certain products being accessible, or people who just enjoy using a Juul when at parties and who don't have addictions, whatever choices are made people will be upset. The goal however is to help the greatest amount of people possible, especially young kids who are being exposed to unknown harms of vaping that the Juul provides. I believe this ethical framework is better than others because this problem needs a solution and choosing a method that would benefit the greatest number of people is something that I believe would have the biggest impact and would have a trickle down effect to several more people.
I believe another approach that could work is banning vape's. This is something that is extremely risky because it's something that smokers use as a alternative to smoking cigarettes, but with all the problems being created by vapes, it seems that if vapes didn't exist, way less people would be smoking in general. Sure, more people would be smoking cigarettes but the amount of underage people smoking and obtaining these nicotine addictions would be way less. Before vapes, you never saw middle school kids smoking cigarettes, and you rarely saw high school kids smoking cigarettes.
People want to do what is cool. Smoking cigarettes used to be cool, but now it's not really looked at as a respectable thing in society. The risks are well known, and it's honestly kind of nasty. The only reason people are Juul'ing is because it's cool and because after a while their addictions make them need to. If vapes are taken away from people, they wont have the chance to smoke them, and the chances of people starting to smoke would be much lower.
I believe to help significantly reduce the amount of kids underage smoking, the steps that Juul has made, will make a difference and the future changes FDA plans on making will make even more changes in a positive way. Creating awareness of the potential harms and risks associated with Juul'ing is something that also needs to be focused on. Nicotine addiction can be dangerous, and people need to be informed enough before they get themselves addicted. I believe the biggest thing that could significantly reduce the amount of underage people using these E-Cigarettes however is scientific proof or evidence that it's bad for individuals.
Everyone I know that Juul's or vapes truly believes that there is nothing wrong with vaping because it has no harm to the body. But the biggest thing is that we aren't sure of that yet. There was a time 50 years ago when smoking cigarettes was cool and only provided individuals with benefits, until science years down the road revealed it was leading several users to lung cancer and other serious health issues.
Between the age restrictions being raised, the FDA locking down on E-Cigarettes, and the attempt to lower the publicity of Juul on social media, I do think we will see a slight decrease in the amount of people using these products. The biggest goal is to just prevent future kids from picking up a Juul and to begin smoking.
If I had to choose an ethical framework to back up my reasoning it would be the teleological framework with focus on utilitarianism. No matter what decisions are made, some people are going to get the short end of the stick. Whether it's current smokers who really depend on certain products being accessible, or people who just enjoy using a Juul when at parties and who don't have addictions, whatever choices are made people will be upset. The goal however is to help the greatest amount of people possible, especially young kids who are being exposed to unknown harms of vaping that the Juul provides. I believe this ethical framework is better than others because this problem needs a solution and choosing a method that would benefit the greatest number of people is something that I believe would have the biggest impact and would have a trickle down effect to several more people.
I believe another approach that could work is banning vape's. This is something that is extremely risky because it's something that smokers use as a alternative to smoking cigarettes, but with all the problems being created by vapes, it seems that if vapes didn't exist, way less people would be smoking in general. Sure, more people would be smoking cigarettes but the amount of underage people smoking and obtaining these nicotine addictions would be way less. Before vapes, you never saw middle school kids smoking cigarettes, and you rarely saw high school kids smoking cigarettes.
People want to do what is cool. Smoking cigarettes used to be cool, but now it's not really looked at as a respectable thing in society. The risks are well known, and it's honestly kind of nasty. The only reason people are Juul'ing is because it's cool and because after a while their addictions make them need to. If vapes are taken away from people, they wont have the chance to smoke them, and the chances of people starting to smoke would be much lower.
The teleological ethical framework makes the most sense because the company should do whats best for their self interest and what they think would make them look better regardless of the consequences for other people. Like what you said, someone is gonna get the short end of the stick so the company should whatever the can to please the largest group of people.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the main focus is doing the best for the greatest amount of people. There isn't much else to say because with a company like this, that's the only motive that they need and should have.
DeleteI really liked your approaches to this ethical situation. I think a deontological framework analysis would not work because everything JUUL is doing is legal. The company has not explicitly targeted the youth. The teleological framework is the most logical. The second approach using the Utilitarianism approach would benefit the most individuals, but I do not think JUUL would shut down the whole company because doing so would benefit the most people. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI actually agree and didn't look at it that way before. If they really wanted to benefit the most people they would just stop producing their product. THATS A GREAT POINT. I never even thought about that. I guess that isn't the best approach then. Thank you for bringing that up because I didn't even think about that.
DeleteI completely agree with you when you say that the biggest thing that could significantly reduce the amount of underage people using e-cigarettes is to provide them with scientific proof or evidence that it is bad for those who don't already smoke. If Juul were to ever put out ads that say that nicotine is an addictive substance and that Juuls are packed with it along with other possible health side effects, although it may scare some current adults who use it, it will most likely deter a large majority of the current underage population from using it. Your reasoning on the teleological framework makes perfect sense here and I agree with it because an ethical business' goal is prioritize helping the greatest amount of people possible rather than monetary benefits. By protecting the current young generation from the possible harmful effects of vaping, they can earn the respect and praise of the FDA, businesses and the parents of young adults who want their kids to stop vaping.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it would be a similar approach to Cigs. The goal isn't to stop people from using it at this point completly, it's to stop people from wanting to try it. Unforutnetly with addiction a lot of people will continue to use it even knowing that it's bad for them but if kids are afraid to try it due to the side effects it will decrease the amount of people using the Juul's
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