Vaping, vape pipes, vaporizers, Juuling, hookah pipes, e-cigarettes and e-pipes are quickly becoming a new rage with our young people. Did you know that over 2 million middle and high school students now use some form of e-cigarettes and that many parents are not aware that their sons and daughters are using the products?
Did you know that e-cigarette usage has gone up 78 percent for high school students and 48 percent for middle school students just from 2017 to 2018? This is the largest one-year increase in teen substance abuse in the 44 years of surveying drug, tobacco, and alcohol use.
Those numbers should shock and concern us. Many might wonder why parents and school officials are not more aware of this growing health epidemic. I can share that the ways e-cigarettes are being marketed and used are devious, misleading, and challenging to track.
Take the devices themselves; they actually can resemble a USB flash drive similar to what we use with our laptops. Odor? None. Believe it or not, the "aroma" from an e-cigarette is often pleasant, leaving both the users and those around them believing that it will not cause a health issue. Taste? They actually can make these products taste like candy, fruit, ice cream or other food and drinks that are pleasing to our senses. What is even more alarming: Nicotine associated with vaping can be as much as 40 times more potent than an actual cigarette!
Parents have told me that these products are marketed on gaming apps and show up as harmless opportunities. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As a member of the American Heart Association, I receive reports that share how dangerous e-cigarettes are. I know my good friends at the local chapter of the American Cancer Society receive these same reports, and we plan to be super-aggressive in requesting the age of tobacco usage be raised to 21. The campaign for this effort is simply Tobacco 21. Here is why we need to ask our state legislators to act:
Vaping/Juuling e-cigarettes actually contain more nicotine than cigarettes. Nicotine use leads to health issues, damaging vital organs. "The Juul nicotine refill ('pods') contain as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes. Average pod length varies but can last up to 200 puffs," according to the American Heart Association.
These products are full of chemicals in the form of aerosols that contain metals that impact lung health. As Dr. Pushan Jani, a pulmonologist with UT Health, states, "Common sense would tell you that vaping leads to an inflammation within the lungs."
E-cigarettes have led to users being poisoned by swallowing, breathing, or absorbing vaping liquids through the skin or eyes.
Nicotine has an impact on mental well-being. According to David Atkinson, the medical director of the Teen Recovery Program at Children's Health, "People with nicotine addiction are frequently anxious and depressed, and are challenged to concentrate without the use of the drug. Nicotine addiction causes kids to be more curious and more willing to experiment with other risky behaviors."
E-cigarettes have an impact on oral health. One of the key components in the liquid used in vaping is propylene glycol. This product is toxic to enamel and soft tissue, and often leads to "dry mouth," which leads to an increase in cavities, gum disease, and other oral health issues.
E-cigarettes are not cessation devices for teens, and often serve as a gateway to drugs. Teens who vape are more likely to smoke cigarettes or potentially use vaping devices for marijuana. According to a 2018 report by the U.S. surgeon general, one in three teens who have used e-cigarettes have used them for marijuana.
Tobacco 21 needs to be addressed in this legislative session. As the superintendent of the Little Rock School District and as a board member of the American Heart Association, I ask you to contact your legislator to support Tobacco 21.
One final push needed? Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Dec. 18 issued a rare advisory--the fourth in 10 years from his office. "I am officially declaring e-cigarette use [vaping] among youth an epidemic in the United States."
An epidemic that as a society we can begin to curb through collective action.
We have a phrase that we have embraced in the Little Rock School District--"The Power of Us." It takes all of us working together to make a difference. We hope you will join us in becoming staunch vocal advocates in supporting this important initiative.
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Mike Poore is superintendent of the Little Rock School District and a Central Arkansas American Heart Association board member.
Editorial on 02/14/2019