Letter: Vaping crisis not a surprise

Recent articles about how vaping has become a new public health challenge, especially for young people, make me ask why we seem to have learned nothing from society’s experience with tobacco and, more recently, opioids. Could we not see this coming? An alternative nicotine delivery mechanism, untested and unregulated by the federal government, with slick advertising and features (like flavoring) designed to appeal to children who might otherwise not pick up the habit—seriously? I know that regulation can be a controversial subject, but I also know that Americans generally expect their government to protect them and their children from dangerous products. Now people are dying, and Indiana is launching a $2.1M social media awareness campaign to address a problem that should have never been created.

Janet G. McCabe