On November 17, local leaders met to discuss how we can work together to address the youth vaping epidemic. This Lake County Vaping Summit, sponsored by Blue Zones Lake County and Adventist Health, allowed us to talk frankly about the challenges we face and how we might collaborate to help children and adolescents choose a different path.
To understand the scope of the problem, local high school students report that 85 percent of their peers are vaping. What is so frightening about this is that many have no idea that they are pouring toxins into their bodies at rates far higher than cigarette smokers, and according to scientific research, nicotine can be more addictive than heroin.
I’ll be sharing more information as this anti-vaping effort progresses, but I wanted to let you know about the main focus areas at this point.
ENVIRONMENT - MAKE IT HARDER TO GET VAPES
We know students as young as six years old are vaping. This is not hearsay. I spoke with a first grader who reported vaping because it tasted like “the best bubble gum ever and made my mouth feel like it was on a cloud.”
Although it is illegal for those under the age of 21 to purchase vape pens and supplies, that doesn’t seem to be slowing anyone down. Kids get vape pens at home, taking them from their parents (with or without their knowledge). They get vape pens from friends and siblings. And if they must, they “pay the homeless guy to buy me a vape” or they walk right into local retailers and buy the vapes themselves.
We are working with elected officials and law enforcement to make it harder for kids to get access to vape pens and cartridges. The recent California ballot initiative to ban flavored vapes should help.
EDUCATION - HELP KIDS UNDERSTAND THE DANGERS OF VAPING
The next area of focus is letting students know about the short-term and long-term effects of vaping. Many are under the mistaken impression that vaping isn’t a big deal, that it isn’t terribly harmful. They don’t know a JUUL with 200 puffs is the equivalent to 13-30 cigarettes. And that is a drop in the bucket compare to the high-capacity Flums.
While the long-term effects are devastating (higher risk of cancer, lung disease, heart disease, and so much more), children and adolescents are more focused on the here and now. We need to better understand how vaping gets in the way of what they want today. If they are athletes interested in performing well, we can talk about how vaping limits lung capacity and makes it hard to run. If, on the other hand, vaping helps them gain social acceptance, we have a tougher road. How do we make vaping un-cool?
COORDINATION - PROVIDE SUPPORT WHEN KIDS ARE READY TO QUIT
At Konocti Unified, we are in this for the long haul. We are working with community partners to provide kids with medical, behavioral, and social support if they want to quit. We are considering unconventional responses to students found vaping on campus-rather than suspension that sends them home to vape for a few days, maybe we create a five-day detox in-house suspension.
For more information, visit undo.org or truthinitiative.org. If you are interested in supporting this effort to reduce vaping among our kids, please let me know and I’ll connect you with the local efforts underway. You can reach me at becky.salato@konoctiusd.org or via phone at (707) 994-6475.