Many vape businesses have opted out of cartoon characters in fear of the FDA response, and the FDA is now deciding to bring back the vaping industry to cartoons. Marvel has released a video series that is designed to disseminate anti-vaping messages.
The videos are referred to as”Mind Control Menace. “Mind Control Menace.” The clips feature a pair of teenagers, Javier and Amy, who attend a high school. The fog turns green and takes over students, making them appear “off.” The two protagonists notice and begin to understand what’s happening. The green fog manifests as faces and tries to take on the two of them; however, it is stopped when one of them yells, “No.” After realizing it is possible to get the fog defeated, he creates the device to show individuals what might be happening at any time should they not take action against the mist. Anyone who the device connects to fights this fog, and the school is free of moisture.
The videos stress the simplified notion that being able to say no and seeing things clearly can be enough to stop addiction. If quitting was as easy as assessing one’s willpower and determination, there would not be a need to have support groups for those who are trying to quit smoking.
The issue is anyone who has read comics will be aware that villains comprise a large portion of the fun. Vaping as an evil, mind-controlling fog is more appealing than the FDA recognizes. If a company selling vape had ordered the same video, including anti-youth vaping messages, it could be fined for promoting it to young people.
There’s no reason to associate superpowers with smoking vapes and then displaying this to young people. Vapes are intended for use by adults who are struggling with nicotine. Electronic cigarettes aren’t beneficial for children or anyone who has never had a taste of nicotine. The idea of presenting vaping as a mythical supervillain is totally in contradiction to keeping the vapes out of reach of children.
