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Health officials warn that they are unaware of the damage that vaping can do.
PANAMA CITY – While the teenage smoking rate has dropped to its lowest level ever reached, the use of e-cigarettes in this age group has advanced in an alarming trend for those responsible for health.
According to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control, 4.2% of Florida high school students admitted to smoking cigarettes in 2017, while 15.7% said they were using e-cigarettes or sprays.
"We are very pleased that the number of teenage cigarette smokers has decreased, but we are very concerned about the use of e-cigarettes in teens," said Heather Kretzer, a Bay County Health Department's word.
The use of electronic cigarette and vaporizers has exploded in recent years, leaving scientific studies struggling to keep up. Kretzer said that health officials are not even sure of what's in the e-cigarettes liquid, and even though the listed ingredients are labeled "food grade", that does not mean that they are harmless.
"A lot of research is still going on," Kretzer said. "Many things we do not know, we know that nicotine levels are higher, what we know is worrying and what we do not know is much more."
Because of these unknowns, Bonnie Steelman, who for more than a decade heads the local chapter Students Working Against Tobacco, said her SWAT group is launching a student-led initiative titled Not Your Lab Rats, aimed at raising awareness. high school students. health risks associated with electronic cigarettes and sprays. It is inspired by the "Not a Replacement" campaign of many years ago, which encouraged teens to refuse to be the "replacements" of older smokers who died with products from the United States. tobacco. Now they encourage students to stand up and refuse to be the test subjects for the tobacco companies.
Companies reorganize their marketing to target teens, through cartoons and candy-flavored cartridges. For Kretzer and Steelman, there is a sense of déjà-vu, having to fight the same fight against cigarettes decades ago against their high-tech counterparts.
"Every company has a life cycle and a revolution," said Kretzer. "Look at the soda companies, now they are selling water."
"From the beginning, this has been announced as a cessation," Steelman said. "That 's what they said about cigarettes at the time." They had doctors on TV who said they only smoked camels because that's what they said. was good for the throat. "
This initial marketing as a smoking cessation aid created a barrier for Ministry of Health officials, who even talked to parents who bought electronic cigarettes or sprays for their teenager, thinking it was safer than to smoke traditional cigarettes. Kretzer and Steelman said they were not supported by studies.
For teens in particular, electronic cigarettes and sprays are attractive. They are fashionable, they come in flavors like sour gummies and Skittles, unlike cigarettes, which leave a strong smell, they are easier to conceal, and some, like Juul, have the shape of USB sticks that can fly under the radar. of most adults.
Plus, with smart phone apps, social media, and games to get them back, their brains are ready for addictive behavior.
"We do not know the damage he can do," Steelman said.
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