E-cigarettes and vaping are popular among youths due to lack of education about the health issues associated with vaping.
Since e-cigarettes are not illegal, they are easy to access and considered to be healthier. Youths age 18 to 25 are substituting smoking with e-cigarettes and vaping. As a result, youths are becoming addicted to nicotine and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), chemicals added to vaping products. THC is a primary agent responsible for making a person high and making them feel relaxed.
In New Hampshire, almost 25% of high school-aged youth are reported using vaping products.
E-cigarettes and vapes were originally designed to help cigarette smokers quit smoking, but they are becoming an epidemic causing lung injuries. According to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 26 deaths and 1,299 cases linked to lung injuries. Most patients reported having a history of using products containing THC. There were also reports of patients with lung injuries using products with a combination of THC and nicotine.
Above all, teens are not educated about the dangers of vaping. America needs to start advertising the dangers of vaping on national television and social media.
The Concord Monitor could partner with schools to bring newspapers to classes so that teachers could assign homework to teens to read the newspaper and have discussions on the vaping reports from the newspaper.
Parents should also educate their children about health problems they can face if they continue using vaping products that contain nicotine and THC.
DEBORAH ELONGA
Concord