Vaping problem

Vaping has become the new smoking, and parents need to take notice. When electronic cigarettes started gaining popularity in the late 2000s, kids quickly picked up on it.

If you think your kid doesn’t know what vaping is, think again. The U.S. surgeon general reports that between 2011 and 2015, e-cigarette use among high schoolers increased 900 percent. The 2017 Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) reported that while all forms of tobacco use are on the decline, e-cigarette use is on the rise with 11 percent of eighth-graders, 22 percent of 10th-graders and 29 percent of 12th-graders reporting e-cigarette use in the past 30 days (12.6 percent reported vaping marijuana).

The vaping epidemic is at an all-time high in schools. The fact is that these devices don’t look or smell like cigarettes, and schools are struggling with how to combat the issue. Some punish kids with detention, while others recommend drug paraphernalia charges. Parents need to educate themselves on the harms of e-cigarettes, familiarize themselves with vaping devices, and talk to their child’s guidance counselor, school nurse and administrators about vaping trends and policies.

Reputable online resources include e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov and the Stanford Medicine tobacco prevention toolkit. If parents don’t get involved, this problem will surely get worse. CARLA CONRAD Executive Director Breathe Pennsylvania Cranberry