-Alright guys, so we got a little extra time before our next shoot so let's see what's trending on the internet, what's poppin', what're you guys talking about. - Wow. - Oh. - Adam. - Vaping, seriously? That's what's cool. I guess. Oh, smells awful though. What is that, cherry? Cantaloupe? Oh my god. There's three kinds of people, people who vape, people who've heard of it and people over 50. Now if you're in that third category, you're not really in our age demographic, but welcome. The more the merrier. Okay, so vaping is typically the use of a vaporizer pen or an e-cig. These pens convert a liquid substance, or e-liquid as it's called, into an inhalable vapor and this e-liquid can contain nicotine, THC, which is the stuff in marijuana that gets you high, or just plain vegetable glycerin with flavoring. A typical vape pen has three parts, a liquid cartridge that holds the e-liquid, a heating element called an atomizer for you technical nerds, and a rechargeable battery used to heat the heating element. And vaping is crazy popular among teens, particularly high school students. A survey done by the National Institute of Drug Abuse claims that in 2017, one in three high school seniors admitted to using some kind of vape and of those one in ten vaped with nicotine. In fact, these days, teens are way more likely to vape than they are to smoke. Now, in most states, there are age limits on purchasing and possessing e-cigarettes. Usually you've gotta be 18 and in some states like California, you've gotta be 21. But when has the law ever stopped a teen? - Often. - Alright, you might be thinking, "Wait, hold up. "Why are people even vaping? "Why is it so popular among teens? "Didn't we all collectively agree "that inhaling substances is bad? "Are millennials and generation Z "just contractually obligated to partake "in anything that has electronic in it's name?" Or do people vape, teens especially, for the reasons they do most things. It looks cool. You don't though, definitely not bro. Definitely not. Unfortunately, in some cases, yeah, it's the cool factor. We can link some of the normalization of vaping to internet memes like the ones you saw at the beginning of the video. It's also become sort of a community called Vape Nation. Vape Nation includes anyone who's ever vaped, or even mentioned vaping. And like most things on the internet, it's mainly a joke. Wait, does that mean... I'm a joke? Anyways, advertising can also play a role in it's popularity. These e-liquids come in fun flavors with colorful labels. Flavors like unicorn milk, chubby's island, and bae. So at least we can all find a bae in some manner, right? Some surveys show that teens do it out of curiosity. Or they see it as healthier than smoking. And unlike cigarettes, sometimes you can get away with doing it inside. I mean, one of the most popular brands basically looks like a USB stick. So is it really a healthier alternative to cigarettes? Let's let this handsome man take it away. - Well Miles, there's actually a lotta conflicting information about e-cigarettes out there. For one thing, until 2016, they weren't regulated by the FDA so manufacturers didn't have to disclose what actually was in the e-liquid. They could claim that they were nicotine free or only had a little bit of nicotine or THC, but there was no outside testing to confirm what the companies were putting on the labels was actually true. But now, the FDA is regulating them. Their contents will be evaluated to make sure what's on the label is what's in the e-liquid. And since e-cigs are relatively new, it's true that there's still a lot that we don't know about the long term health effects like if they can cause cancer like traditional cigarettes. But don't get me wrong, there has been some research. So scientists aren't totally, you know, in the dark. - Well, thank you doctor. - Well, your quite welcome Miles. - Awesome. Here's what some scientists know. The most obvious is that nicotine is addicting and not good for you. Especially in those with developing teen brains. But what about vapes that don't contain nicotine. Like the one's whose e-liquid is just vegetable glycerin. A brand-spanking new study by researchers at UC San Francisco released in March of 2018 found that teens who vape, even when the vapes don't have nicotine, are still exposed to some of the same toxic chemicals that are found in cigarette smoke. When vegetable glycerin is heated enough to be vaporized it can produce toxic substances. Toxins that could potentially cause cancer. Now there's also research that indicates that substituting e-cigarettes for traditional cigarettes in people who already smoke, reduces smoker exposure to many toxins. That's why you might hear things like, it's a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes. But keep in mind, and this may seem the most obvious, not vaping or smoking anything is pretty much the healthier option. So there you have it. That's what's up with vaping. But we're curious, what are the vaping laws in your area? Would you change them in any way? Let us know in the comments below. And don't forget to like, subscribe, and for all you people over 30, share on Facebook. 'Till next time, bye. Oh wait, wait wait, wait, wait, hold up. Before I go, I wanna just let you all know that this is actually a very special episode envisioned by a group of high school students in the bay area, so I wanna give them a shoutout. Come on up here guys, come on, come on, come on, come on. These guys are amazing. I hope you liked this episode and leave us comments and like and subscribe. Bye guys! Woot, we did it!