LET’S TALK VAPE:
Schools are cordoning off bathrooms in Somerset Hills school districts so that they can reduce vaping amongst students. Students are vaping undetected in the classroom. Nearly 10% of children aged 15-17 have used a Juul.* Juul cartridges contain the nicotine equivalent to a whole pack of cigarettes. 63% of 15-24 yr-olds report being unaware JUULs always contained nicotine. Vapes with attractive flavors – even without nicotine – have the potential to harm. Researchers have found up to three times the levels of five potentially cancer-causing chemicals in urine tests of young vapers compared to non-vapers.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?:
Well, as a professor at Harvard Medical School said, “If you were to design your ideal nicotine-delivery device to addict large numbers of United States kids, you’d invent Juul. It’s absolutely unconscionable. The earlier these companies introduce the product to the developing brain, the better the chance they have a lifelong user.” According to a recent study,** 15- to 17-year-olds have over 16 times greater odds of being current JUUL users compared to those between 25 and 34 years old. ‘Simply put, the younger the brain, the more easily its reward circuits can be manipulated.’
DO WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION YET?:
This bothers us here at Community in Crisis – a lot. Not only are we looking at erasing 20 years of progress in smoking prevention and creating a generation of smokers, but we’re also looking at studies that show that children using any drug — legal or illegal — are more likely to develop an addiction, or substance-use disorder. Simply put, the younger the brain, the more easily its reward circuits can be manipulated.
If parents truly understood how the brain develops and the effects of substances — e-cigarettes, cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and the like — on their child’s developing brain, they would have a very different view about the wisdom of the use of these neuro-active agents during the adolescent and teenage years. It’s our job to get the word out! Learn more facts here which may help you discuss vaping with your kids.
Join us as we offer you multiple events to increase your understanding of this latest worrying craze during the month of NoVAPEmber!
*truthinitiative.org
**cdc.gov
To learn more, join us at these upcoming community events hosted by or in partnership with Community in Crisis. All are welcome.
Vaping: Clear the Air. Addiction & the teenage brain. WHRHS. Tues., 11/13. 6:30pm. Learn more here.
The Smoke Screen. WAMS. Wednesday 11/14. 09:15-10am. Learn more here.
Community in Crisis Open House. Community Hub, Bernardsville. 11/15. 10-12 & 6:30 – 8:30pm. Learn more here.
Vaping talk. Somerset Hills YMCA. 12/5. 6:30pm. Details to follow.
