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Want to be heard? We want to know about your concerns related to substance abuse among youth in your community.
From 2017 to 2018, there was a 78% increase among high school students for e-cigarette use.
Source: 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey
In 2020, CDC and FDA data showed that at least 3.6 million U.S. youth, including about 1 in 5 high school students and about 1 in 20 middle school students, used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days."
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Getting in on the newest smoking trend is not a wise idea. Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or vapes are battery powered devices that deliver nicotine and other ingredients to the user by heating up a liquid cartridge of chemicals which then becomes an aerosol.
A popular misconception about vaping is that it emits harmless “water vapor” when actually there have been reports of breathing difficulties from those who use them because they create harmful substances such as formaldehyde, benzene and acrolein at levels several times higher than regular cigarettes emit.
What are the risks for youth?
Researchers have been examining the long-term effects of nicotine exposure on young people for years. Some studies suggest that using e-cigarettes can lead to future addiction in other drugs, and many come with kid friendly flavors such as mango or fruit which are more appealing to children than adults.
Nicotine poses a risk even when inhaled secondhand from an e-cigarette's aerosol because it is highly addictive - leading some researchers to believe this may be the new "gateway drug."
Nicotine exposure during adolescence can: »Harm brain development through age 25; memory loss/loss of concentration due to interruptions in synapse formation within the hippocampus has been found among adolescent smokers »Increase addiction risk for future drugs because it increases dopamine release
What can you do as a parent or caregiver?
As a parent or caregiver, you have an important role in protecting children from e-cigarettes.
»Finding out why they are harmful is the first step to adjusting your behavior and setting good examples for them so that they can be tobacco free themselves as well. Learning about different types of e-cigs will also help protect kids by warning parents on how dangerous these products really are!
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Drug Fact Week Presentation
Drug & Alcohol Treatment
in and around Sunnyside, Washington
If you or someone you know is in need of treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, please contact one of the following organizations.