VAPING:  JUST THE FACTS

Tips for talking to kids
​BEFORE they Vape.

The risks of Juuling and vaping for kids are real, making it all the more important for parents to begin addressing these issues before their children decide to try these products.
A licensed clinical psychologist from Connecticut, Dr. Elaine Ducharme, PhD, told Heathline, “Parents really need to start talking to their kids in elementary school about this issue.”
She offered these tips for engaging in those discussions:
  1. Educate yourself first. Get the facts on these products so you know what you’re talking about when you approach the discussion with your kids.
  2. Be a role model. Parents are responsible for shaping many of their children’s ideas and behaviors, so set the tone with your own actions.
  3. Establish a safe environment where your kids can talk about their feelings and opinions without feeling judged.
  4. Really listen and let them tell you what they know.
  5. It can sometimes be helpful to give them something to read that you can then discuss together.
  6. Help them figure out ways to handle situations where they may be pressured to engage in these behaviors.
  7. Create a plan, even specific things for them to say like, “I have asthma and my doctor says I could become very ill if I try this,” or, “I just don’t think it looks cool.”
  8. Help them understand that using willpower to stand up to peers is really hard, but willpower is like a muscle — the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
Winickoff had this to add, “What the research says about tobacco use, which we can apply to Juuling and vaping, is that parents expressing how they feel about these products — their strong negative opinions — actually can make a difference. Kids may protest, but they do internalize their parent’s belief system.”
Winickoff says this is true even if a parent uses the product themselves. Talking about the negatives of that product, and about how the addiction has taken hold and why parents can’t quit (even though they want to) can still send a strong message to teens about why they shouldn’t start.

Taken from:  Juuling: The Addictive New Vaping Trends Teens are Hiding

FDA-Vaping Investigation

Published August 8, 2019

Juuling and Teenagers: Why Vaping is a Dangerous Trend

Written by Leah Campbell on May 31, 2019

E-cigarettes and Lung Health

American Lung Association

Electronic Cigarettes

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
10 Surprising Facts about E-cigarettes
Published: October 2018
​E-cigarettes seem to be everywhere these days, and many think of them as a useful tool for people looking to quit smoking and relatively risk-free for new users. But are they safe? Before you or someone you care about uses e-cigarettes to quit smoking or for other reasons, get the facts.

1. E-cigarettes and other vaping devices are NOT risk-free.Although it’s generally agreed that these products are less harmful than smoked cigarettes, there is no evidence that they are, in fact, safe. Rather, a growing body of research indicates that they may lead to negative health consequences, including:
  • Damage to the brain, heart and lungs
  • Cancerous tumor development
  • Preterm deliveries and stillbirths in pregnant women
  • Harmful effects on brain and lung development, when use occurs during fetal development or adolescence

​2. They contain nicotine, a highly addictive drug with known health risks. Using nicotine, regardless of how it is delivered, increases the risk of addiction. Nicotine addiction is notoriously difficult to reverse, and use of e-cigarettes frequently leads to use of other nicotine products, including smoked cigarettes, as well as alcohol and other drugs. 

3. Using e-cigarettes and other vaping products is not a proven method for quitting smoking. E-cigarettes and other vaping devices would be a preferred alternative to traditional cigarettes when used exclusively as a replacement and only among smokers who have been unable to quit smoking using proven, medically approved methods. However, there is little evidence that they reliably reduce cigarette smoking or lead to smoking cessation. In fact, the nicotine contained in e-cigarettes and other vaping products may actually perpetuate addiction, in some cases making it even harder to quit smoking.

4. E-cigarettes and other vaping devices are not used exclusively by people trying to quit smoking. Rather, they are increasingly popular with young people, including those who had never smoked cigarettes previously and never intended to. Research shows that some young people begin to smoke cigarettes only after using e-cigarettes. 

5. E-cigarettes and other vaping devices are frequently used in addition to smoked cigarettes, rather than in place of them. Many smokers use these products alongside traditional cigarettes, often at times and in places where smoking is not allowed or is not convenient. The end result is an increase in total exposure to nicotine and its harmful effects.

6. Nicotine can affect brain development and functioning in young people.Young people are particularly vulnerable to using e-cigarettes and vaping devices and to their effects. The younger a person is when he or she tries nicotine, the greater the risk of addiction. The developing brain is more vulnerable to the effects of addictive substances than a fully developed adult brain. Additionally, nicotine can disrupt brain development, interfere with long-term cognitive functioning, and increase the risk of various mental and physical health problems later in life.  

7. E-cigarettes and other vaping devices are not FDA approved. These products are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a smoking cessation aid. Until very recently, manufacturers and distributors of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices were not bound by standards of safety set by the FDA for smoked tobacco products. Despite the new regulations, e-cigarette manufacturers are free to project a risk-free image in their marketing, and offer enticing, candy-like flavors that appeal to children, adolescents and young adults.

8. There is little consistency across different products. There is limited federal oversight over e-cigarettes and other vaping devices making it difficult to assess the dangers of any specific product. Across products, there is considerable variation in the nature and concentration of the ingredients, including nicotine and other known toxins.

9. There is no evidence that the aerosol from these products is safe.There is growing concern about the long-term health effects of aerosolizing nicotine and other chemicals in e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. The additives, heavy metals, ultrafine particles, and other ingredients they contain include toxins and carcinogens.

10. The spread of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices may be re-normalizing smoking behavior.The increase in popularity of nicotine devices and their widespread availability is reversing the progress made over decades of intense global, national, and local efforts to reduce cigarette smoking, especially among young people.

What’s the bottom line?If you're a long-term cigarette smoker and haven’t been able to cut back or stop smoking using approved cessation methods, e-cigarettes and other vaping devices products appear to be a safer alternative than continuing cigarette smoking, even if they do not help you reduce your nicotine intake. However, if you do not smoke or use other forms of tobacco or nicotine, steer clear of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. The potential risks to your long-term health outweigh any enjoyment in the moment.

Authored by: ​Linda Richter, PhDDirector of Policy Research and AnalysisDr. Richter oversees the policy-oriented research projects at Center on Addiction. Her work includes translating the science of nicotine, alcohol and other drug use and addiction for lay audiences and researching ways to improve addiction prevention, treatment and policy.