FEATURES
LESS THAN MARVEL-OUS
Ridicule at FDA and Marvel collaboration which portrays teen vapers as green-eyed zombies ‘ possessed ’ by nicotine
Words : Gordon Stribling
There ’ s an eerie green mist turning kids into zombies . No , it ’ s not the latest mustsee Netflix horror flick , it ’ s something far more terrifying – the ‘ Mind Control Menace ’ of teen vaping .
The FDA ’ s Real Cost Initiative began in 2016 as a way to steer teens from smoking . The new 16-page comic book , made in collaboration with Marvel Comics , follows in the recent vein of taking aim at nicotine vaping rather than tobacco or the black market THC products that sparked the EVALI outbreak . Nicotine addiction forms the core of the campaign , with teens unable to control their actions as green vapour tentacles wrap around them . It ’ s reminiscent of the 2018 campaign which depicted vaping as a parasite boring into the brains of unsuspecting teens as the ‘ teen vaping epidemic ’ ravaged America .
Dan Buckley , president of Marvel Entertainment , said of the new collaboration : “ Marvel stories have always reflected the world around us , which allows us to find meaningful ways to reach fans of every age .
“ As a brand , we recognise the impact of the FDA ’ s mission to combat nicotine and the effect it can have on youth , and we are honoured to contribute to such an important campaign to raise awareness about the addictive nature of vaping .” The comic met with ridicule from the tobacco harm reduction community , with some prominent figures drawing parallels with the scare tactics of 1936 propaganda film Reefer Madness and Nancy Reagan ’ s 1980s ‘ Just Say No ’ anti-drugs messaging . Alex Wodak , director of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association said the new Marvel campaign sought to demonise vaping in the same way that Refer Madness demonised cannabis .
“
I cannot believe a supposedly scientific organisation is going all-in on moral panic activism … promoting some weird sort of ‘ demonic possession ’ model of addiction .
He said : “ Without having to be told explicitly researchers and influential organisations realise what side their bread is buttered on and spring into action .”
“
Clive Bates of Counterfactual and former director of Action on Smoking and Health agreed , saying : “ I cannot believe we are witnessing a supposedly scientific organisation going all-in on moral panic activism with homage to Reefer Madness .
“ They seem to be promoting some weird sort of ‘ demonic possession ’ model of addiction … It would be a laughable attempt to spread alarm , but I am pretty certain it will fall flat among those at risk just because it has no contact points with reality .” The FDA responded to the criticism levelled in an article by Filter . The organisation said that many teens who experiment with vaping are unaware of the risks and do not realise that nicotine can be present in e-cigarettes . The spokesperson said : “ The FDA carefully selected Disney and Marvel to partner with and to co-develop the comic book .
“ Comic books are highly effective ways to engage with this audience . On average , teens are 251 percent more likely to have read a comic book two-to-three times a month in the past year .”
According to the most recent National Youth Tobacco Survey ( NYTS ), 1.8 million fewer teens were classed as current e-cigarette users in 2020 than in 2019 . However , youth use of disposable products not affected by the pod flavour ban surged by more than 25 percent , the survey revealed .
66 l VM33