- It's growing on me.
- This is supposed to be better
than a cigarette? (coughs)
♪ (ragtime intro) ♪
- (FBE) So, we recently asked you
if you were okay with doing
a particular episode.
- Asked me if I was okay with vaping,
which I've heard of.
I've never done it,
but I'm a smoker,
so I figure, well,
I know how to inhale.
I'll try it. What the hell.
- I didn't know what it meant,
so I asked my sister,
"Hey, what's vaping?"
"How do I know?"
(laughs) So,
she asked her daughter,
and she said it's
the fake cigarette thingy.
- I said I was interested in it,
because I see people
driving down the road
and a big ol' puff of smoke
comes out and I say,
"That's not a regular cigarette."
- (FBE) So today, you will
be vaping for the first time.
- Yes, I will.
- The hell is that?
- That's weird.
I thought it would
look more like a cigarette.
It looks like something
you would plug into a computer.
- May I take a puff?
- (FBE) Well, we don't have
anything in there yet.
So, there are many different brands
of vaping products.
This one in particular
is a very popular brand called JUUL.
- JUUL like jewelry.
- I've heard of JUUL,
and I heard they make
all kinds of flavors
that might taste good,
which is bad,
because it's appealing
to young people.
- (FBE) And they offer an assortment
of flavors to choose from to vape,
so we have a few of them
to show you now.
- Wow. (chuckles)
They come this small? Really?
- What do I do?
Do I stick it in this thing?
- I didn't know there were
different flavors, but why not?
- It does smell like strawberry.
- Oh, this is minty. Minty.
Chocolate minty.
- Vanilla maybe?
- (FBE) Close.
That one is crème brûlée.
- Oh, crème brûlée, darling.
- (FBE) We'll get into
the controversies around vaping later,
but first, it's time
for you to try vaping.
- So, what do I do?
Eat it?
- I guess you insert it.
- Oh, and a light flashed on.
- Which end do you suck from?
- Whoa! Not sure what it was,
but I liked it.
- (coughs)
Tastes like [bleep].
- Oh, that was real smoke.
Oh, god.
Now, why do people
do this for pleasure?
Good. Tastes like coffee.
- This is supposed to be better
than a cigarette? (coughs)
I'd rather have weed.
- It's stupid.
- (coughs) I'm not a smoker,
but that didn't taste bad.
I can see how young people
can get hooked on this.
- Wow! (laughs)
It's a lot stronger than I thought.
- (FBE) If you want,
you can also try another flavor.
We have two more of those there
if you wanna grab another one.
- Wow.
(coughs)
- I'm getting pretty high here.
- I don't like this.
Makes me throw up.
This one was better.
- This is a little milder.
This one's not so bad.
Maybe it's because it's the mint.
- Viva la France,
la crème brûlée.
It's growing on me.
The more I do it, the more I like it.
- It's not the same,
not the same as tobacco.
It doesn't smell, probably doesn't
make your clothes smell.
- It's actually heavier.
I wouldn't wanna be carrying
this around all day.
A cigarette's much lighter.
And it's unpleasant.
Why do people find that pleasurable?
Suck that smoke into your lungs.
What is pleasurable about that?
- (FBE) A little more about vaping
now that you've tried it.
Vaping, in a way, is designed
as an alternative to smoking
by simulating the feeling
of smoking to satisfy nicotine intake
without the ash and odor.
- I can see if you're a smoker
doing this instead of smoking.
But if you're not a smoker
and you just do it
because it's there, it's dumb.
- (FBE) Some people who vape
will mention how it's substantially
less harmful for your health
than inhaling combustible tobacco
like cigarettes.
- No. That big puff I took
off that last one?
That was toxic.
- (FBE) And there's some who say
that vaping also contains
fewer toxins
than cigarettes.
Do you personally believe
that is safe still to use?
- No, because
the medical professionals now
are saying that vaping
is not good.
- Any time you take anything
into your lungs
that's not clear oxygen,
it's gonna affect you a little bit.
- No! If you don't want toxins
and stuff in there,
then don't do it at all.
That's even less.
- (FBE) So, JUUL offers
quite the array of flavors,
but other vaping companies
are selling unique flavors,
and we have a list of some
to read of now.
- Oh, goody! (laughs)
- (FBE) If you wanna
read those off to me.
- Unicorn vomit.
Okay.
- Unicorn vomit. (laughs) Yuck!
- Pumpkin donut.
Cereal milk.
- Pancake syrup.
I'd rather have it on my pancakes.
- Birthday cake.
Fruit loops.
You got flavors
you're used to.
- Red Bull.
Good idea.
- If I were younger,
I would probably try to taste it.
I'm scared to show this
to my grandkids.
- This is all fun stuff.
This is all fun kiddy food.
And so, now you can't wait
to get the young people
addicted to this stuff.
- (FBE) Aside from the flavors,
you can even buy different covers
called skins to decorate your JUUL
similar to an iPhone case.
This is another reason many think
that this product is marketed
towards a younger audience.
Is this a potential issue
for young people or is it
not that big of a deal?
- No, it is a big deal.
They shouldn't even try
to tempt younger people
to do it.
- It was a fun exercise,
but I would like to disavow
this product, because it should be
kept away from children
and it appears
that they're being targeted.
There's no doubt about it
that the company is trying
to get kids hooked on this.
- When I was younger,
they did a lot of advertising.
Now, of course,
it isn't like it is today.
You'd have a billboard
or in magazines.
They'd show younger people
having fun
to try to equate good times
with cigarettes.
Now they're trying to equate
good times with these things.
- (FBE) So, studies are showing
that vaping has become very popular
among high school students.
While cigarette use
amongst high schoolers
has dropped to a record low of 8%...
- Right. Well,
that's actually good.
- (FBE) ...statistics show
that one in five youth
are seen using a JUUL in school.
- Right, 'cause it's cool.
JUUL, even the name
sounds cool.
- (FBE) Why do you think
that this is catching on
with young people
when traditional cigarettes are not?
- It's easy. I could carry this
in my pocket,
in my backpack,
since I'm a kid.
- It's certainly a sneakier way
to get that nicotine feel.
- Because they know
that cigarettes are bad for you
and they're thinking that, well,
now we can smoke
and not worry about
our health.
- Makes me feel healthier
as opposed to cigarettes or cigars.
But in the long run,
it's better not to do it at all.
- (FBE) So, vaping seemingly
is becoming sort of a trend
amongst the younger generation.
When you were growing up,
how was smoking viewed
and talked about?
And what ended up
happening over time?
- Smoking when I was a kid
was viewed and talked about
in a very positive way,
because the tobacco companies
were huge big business.
- Smoking was cool.
You know, you smoke,
hang out with your friends,
and you smoke cigarettes
and drink beer.
As you get older,
you realize that you can't stop.
- It was viewed as just
something to do, the norm.
The research was done,
and it showed that secondhand smoke
is not a good thing.
So, that's when everything
started to change.
- When I was young,
they used a lot of doctors
in the commercials.
You'd have photographs in magazines
or billboards of doctors
smoking a cigarette.
"Dr. Douchebag,
he recommends the Camel cigarettes."
- When I was playing mahjong,
we would smoke.
Everybody was smoking,
They didn't know the harm of it.
When I was in the hospital,
the person beside me,
she had cancer of the lungs.
And she said, "I wish I never smoked."
Those were her last words.
- (FBE) So, as an elder,
you were around when cigarettes
were not fully known
to be as dangerous as it turned out.
So, after hearing all this,
what do you think
about the conversation
happening around vaping?
- Well, it's not gonna last that long,
because now the scientists know
what's not good.
And if you look at the old movies--
I like to watch Turner Classic--
all the old actors,
they all smoked,
and they're all dead now.
Most of 'em died of cancer.
- They can tell us, "Hey,
it's bad for you,"
but sometimes,
that's even more of a draw.
- They told us, you know,
years ago about cigarette smoking
being okay until they realized
it causes cancer.
And to start doing this
can be habitual just like smoking.
- (FBE) And again, it's technically
less toxic than cigarettes.
However, there isn't hard data yet
on the long-term effects of vaping.
- Not hard data,
only hard lungs.
- (FBE) So finally, after you've tried
the vape yourself and learning more
about what it is,
what would you wanna say
to younger people who might be
thinking about vaping
or those who are currently vaping
from your perspective as an elder?
- There's a lot of things out there
that you can do that are fun
and nourishing
and healthy.
Why not do that?
Why do this crap?
- It's your choice,
not my choice.
- Try it once. (coughs lightly)
Cough and wheeze.
Don't try it again,
but then you can say you did it.
- If you're vaping
or smoking, stop.
All you young people and old people
need to learn to love your body.
- It is dirty and ugly
just like smoking cigarettes.
Don't do it.
Don't get started.
Don't touch it
with a 10-foot pole.
Please don't do it.
Please don't try it.
Nicotine is highly addictive.
- Well, I have a husband
who's 80, you know?
And he has COPD.
So, if you wanna end up like that,
you wanna end up in the hospital
with a collapsed lung,
which did happen to him,
then you go right ahead.
Then you keep vaping.
- Thanks for watching
this episode of Elders React.
- Shoutout to Ruth Davis.
- Subscribe and hit the bell.
And a shoutout to Nancy Taylor!
- Don't vape! Bye!
- Hey, guys! Ethan here from FBE.
Thank you so much for watching
this episode of Elders React.
And if you wanna check out more
with our elders plus
all of our other cast,
you gotta check out
more episodes.
You can click on some of those
down below. Bye, guys!
