No matter where you may go in Connecticut — stores, parks, restaurants or even schools — there will be people using e-cigarette products called vapes. Currently, there is a vaping epidemic in Connecticut, especially among young people.

According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, about 16,600 high school students reported using e-cigarette products in 2023 — even though sales of vaping products are restricted to those 21 and older. The DPH also says that 13.3% of adults age 18-34 vape. Why are these numbers so big?

Walk into any smoke shop in Connecticut, and it can look more like a candy store than a drug store, with bright lights, fun colors and cool art designs. If you look at the products, there are hundreds of different flavors including “Pink Lemonade,” “Tropical Rainbow” or “Orange Creamsicle.” You can even find smart vapes, which let you play games and connect to a phone. These marketing tactics used by vape companies and stores are successful, especially with younger people. The flavors are irresistible, and the pretty colors are eye-catching.

Vaping looks exciting until you realize that most of these products contain nicotine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nicotine is a highly addictive drug that can affect brain development up to age 25. This means that every inhale from a flavored vape has the potential to alter a young person’s developing brain, making addiction more likely and harder to break. What starts as a fun flavor can quickly become a habit that vapers struggle to quit.

Connecticut lawmakers need to ban flavored vape products. Fruity and dessert-like flavors are designed to appeal to young people and should not be sold. Young people are getting their hands on these products too early, increasing the risk of health problems and lifelong addiction.

Connecticut bans the sale of tobacco and vapor products to anyone under 21. But there is no statewide ban on flavored e-cigarettes in Connecticut. A ban has been considered by the legislature but never passed. On the federal level, the Food and Drug Administration has a ban on flavored e-cigarettes in cartridge-based systems (pods), but not on disposable ones.

Some might argue that banning flavored vapes could increase the usage of other tobacco products like cigarettes or nicotine pouches because a lot of adults have switched from cigarettes to vaping. But vaping carries great risks. Many vaping products contain chemicals such as diacetyl, which is linked to lung disease, injury and even death, according to the American Heart Association. The DPH says vapes also contain heavy metals like lead and nickel, which are not things anyone should be inhaling on the daily.

Connecticut has earned an F from the American Lung Association for its cowardice on banning flavored vapes. And Connecticut is one of the few states in the Northeast that hasn’t banned flavored vapes. Connecticut needs to do better for communities that are suffering from vaping epidemics.

Connecticut has fallen behind. The state’s lack of action is hurting the health of a generation. If we want to protect children from nicotine addiction and prevent long-term harm, the time to act is now.

Carissa Murphy is a junior majoring in communication at Central Connecticut State University.