The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
YourOpinions
Protecting youths against e-cigarettes and vaping
Teenaged smoking is at an alltime low nationwide. Dedicated health, community, andyouthadvocates have been working hard to protect our children from Big Tobacco and its marketing tactics over thepast 25 years. Yetkids are still getting addicted to nicotine.
E-cigarette and vaporizers are now on the market, and their use is increasing. When asked about e-cigarettes and vaping, most people don’t know the health risks. The devices are adjustable, and it is up to the user to decide how much fluid is used each time. This makes these devices very dangerous for young adults whodon’t realize they contain nicotine. These products are marketed with cartoons and have fruity sweet flavors. Just like with other tobacco products, we need to let tobacco companies and retailers know that marketing these harmful products to youths is not acceptable. We also need to educate everyone on the dangers of these new devices.
These products, including the JUUL, are showing some very familiar trends. We know:
1. Nicotine is highly addictive. One pod in the e-cigarette equals one pack of cigarettes in terms of the amount of nicotine. Drugs like nicotine, which are highly addictive, change the brain and how it works. These changes can lead to many harmful, often self-destructive, behaviors.
2. Danger to the lungs. There is a danger to the lungs from the chemicals being inhaled when the pods are heated up. There are chemicals and heavy metals being inhaled in the vapor. Furthermore, e-cigarette “smoke” is harmful to everyone. Many users think what they are inhaling and exhaling is harmless water vapor, but it actually contains chemicals andmetals that canharmanyone around it.
3. Nicotine affects brain devel- opment in youths. The brain is not fully developed until a person reaches age 25. Nicotine can prime the brain for addiction to opiates and other drugs. So, if a youth is prescribedanopiate for a sports injury or dental procedure, the brain is already more likely to be susceptible to addiction.
The e-cigarette and vaping issue is the same aswith traditional tobacco products, just with a new delivery system, and we should make sure we include these new devices when talking about tobacco.
Madison County has taken a proactive approach and has changed a local law so that e-cigarettes, vaping, and nicotine dispensing devices cannot be used on county property, including parks. Other possible regulatory approaches include enforcement in schools, raising the age of sale for tobaccoandnicotineproducts, and expanding productmarketing restrictions for tobacco to include e-cigarettes and vaping devices.
Madison County has community outreach and education programs tohelpusworktowardsour goal of bettering lives and communities, including BRiDGES, Madison County Council on Alcoholism& Substance Abuse, Inc. The County’s Tobacco Prevention Programis a communitypartner- ship funded by theNewYork State Department of Health Bureau of Tobacco Control. For more information, visit www.madisoncounty.ny.gov/206/Health-Department and www.bridgescouncil.org/.
Sincerely,