Corrections_Today_Winter_2025-2026_Vol.87_No.4

VIEW FROM THE LINE

– Nicotine therapy during COVID-19 reduced hospital mortality for some smokers (Hollenback, 2022) – Emerging research links nicotine lozenges to reduced inflammation and cognitive benefit without the harms of inhaled delivery (Letsinger, et al., 2023) These findings support the expansion of medically guided NRT programs in correctional settings, not continued exposure to addic tive chemicals present in electronic cigarettes. Recommendations Rather than promote e-cigarette sales in commissaries, correctional systems should: – Expand nicotine replacement therapy options through health services. – Invest in behavioral health staffing to address stress, with drawal, and coping strategies. – Build peer-support cessation programs that reinforce per sonal recovery goals. – Prohibit vape devices and accessories as potential contra band and fire hazards. Conclusion Allowing vapes in correctional settings may seem like a practical compromise, but the long-term implications are troubling. These devices extend dependency, intro duce health and security threats, and open the door to ethical con flicts that undermine the mission

(Breitbarth, 2018). Their hollow cartridges and heating elements provide opportunities for smuggling and unauthorized drug use. Beyond tampering, they can cause damage to facilities. In 2023, U.K. prisons recorded more than 2,200 fires sparked by e-cigarette devices (Bet & Barun, 2023). The growth of vape sales in jails raises concerns about monetizing addiction. In Kentucky, investiga tive reporting revealed that sheriffs, jailers, and vape suppliers received direct payments tied to e-cigarette sales (Dunlop & Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, 2020). This introduces a conflict of interest, where institutional stability may be leveraged to justify addiction-based revenue streams. Ethical correction al healthcare should remain centered on patient outcomes, not profits. More secure alternatives exist Nicotine lozenges, patches, and gum are FDA-approved and avail able under clinical supervision (U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 2022). Studies suggest that nicotine alone is not highly addictive, but that the tobacco additives and combustion accelerants present in vapes may be the catalyst for addiction. Behavioral dependence on cigarettes or vapes is often driven by ritual and rapid chemical delivery, not nicotine in isolation: – Nicotine alone does not cause addiction without chemical ad ditives (Alpert et al, 2016) Profit incentives threaten ethical governance

of rehabilitation and public health. The true path to harm reduction in jails is not vaping; it is treating addiction. CT REFERENCES ALA Editorial Staff. (2016). Popcorn lung: A dangerous risk of flavored e-cigarettes. American Lung Association . https://www.lung.org/blog/ popcorn-lung-risk-ecigs Alpert, H. R., Agaku, I. T., & Connolly, G. N. (2016). A study of pyrazines in cigarettes and how additives might be used to enhance tobacco addiction. Tobacco control, 25(4), 444–450. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2014 051943 Barufaldi, L. A., Guerra, R. L., de Albuquerque, R. D. C. R., Nascimento, A., Chança, R. D., de Souza, M. C., de Almeida, L. M. (2021). Risk of smoking relapse with the use of electronic cigarettes: A systematic review with meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Tobacco Prevention & Cessation, 7 , 29. https://doi. org/10.18332/tpc/132964 Bet, M. & Barun, R. (2024). Jail vape blazes: Vapes starting record number of fires in Britain’s ‘overcrowded’ prisons, shock stats show. The Sun . https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/28802585/ vapes-fires-britain-overcrowded-prisons/ Breitbarth, A., Morgan, J., & Jones, A. (2018). E-cigarettes—An unintended illicit drug delivery system. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 191 , 98-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.07.031 Caruana, D. (2024). The unden able benefits of allowing vaping in jails. VapingPost . https://www. vapingpost.com/2024/10/13/the-undeniable benefits-of-allowing-vaping-in-jails/ Dunlop, R. & Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. (2020). How these jail officials profit from selling e-cigarettes to inmates. ProPublica . https://www.propublica.org/article/how-these jail-officials-profit-from-selling-e-cigarettes-to inmates Hess, C. A., Olmedo, P., Navas-Acien, A., Goessler, W., Cohen, J. E., & Rule, A. M. (2017). E-cigarettes as a source of toxic and potentially carcinogenic metals. Environmental Research , 152 , 221–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. envres.2016.09.026 Hollenback, C. (2022). Nicotine patch, lozenge, or gum during COVID-19 hospitalization may reduce mortality for those who smoke. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention . https://ctri. →

Winter 2025-2026 | Corrections Today

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