As the AHS Tobacco Use Prevention Education(TUPE) site coordinator I want to reiterate, one final time this year, the importance of talking to your students about the dangers of tobacco use and vaping. While teenagers have drastically decreased their cigarette and chewing tobacco use in recent years, vaping is still widely used among this demographic. Generally, the odorless, or sometimes even pleasantly scented, vapor makes usage among teens much easier to hide than cigarettes. With usage sometimes occurring in the home or at school without adults ever suspecting it, nicotine is more accessible to teens than ever before.
While vaping is often advertised as a safer alternative to smoking it should be noted that vaping is EXTREMELY addictive as nicotine levels of some popular products can be 50 times stronger than cigarettes. Since teen brains are still developing, nicotine addiction in teens has been linked to mood disorders and even damage to parts of the brain responsible for memory, emotion regulation and critical thinking.
Through education and awareness it is possible to change tobacco and nicotine outcomes in teens! If you suspect that your teen may be using nicotine or tobacco, a heartfelt conversation about the dangers is a great place to start. If you are interested in quitting resources for your teen, or even for yourself, please visit Truth Initiative for more information.
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