What you as a parent should know. E-Cigarettes What you as a parent should know.

What exactly is an E-Cigarette? E-Cigarette     (short for electronic cigarette) is a battery-powered device that disperses nicotine and other chemicals as tiny airborne particles that users can inhale. They were originally developed as a safer alternative to cigarettes that users could use as they tried to slowly break their addiction to the nicotine in tobacco products. These devices heat up a flavored liquid until it evaporates, producing vapors. People who use these devices are known as vapers.

Rates of use amongst youth The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Adolescent Health states that almost 4 million 14- to 17-year olds have smoked cigarettes and one in 15 high school seniors is a daily smoker. Smoking is also more common among white adolescents when compared to black or Hispanic teens. Adolescents who live in the South and Midwest regions of the country are more likely to vape/smoke.

Are E-Cigarettes safer than regular cigarettes? Ongoing data suggests that juice used for vaping actually contains toxic chemicals that prevent a body from fighting off infection and damage a person’s healthy cells. Flavors that caused the most damage to cells include flavorings that taste buttery, as well as vanilla, cotton candy, caramel, and cinnamon. A person who mixes flavors increases their risk of having healthy cells destroyed by the toxins in vape juice. There are over 7,700 juice flavors and many of them are fruit or candy flavored which is more appealing to youth.

Are E-Cigarettes safer than regular cigarettes? Daily use doubles the odds of a heart attack according to a new study by UC San Francisco. It is important to note that studies have not been conducted long enough to effectively determine the harm caused from vaping yet premature studies conducted in animals indicates support that long term use will result in heart, cancer, or respiratory disease.

Concerns with dependence Nicotine causes changes in the brain, so after inhaling nicotine, a person can become addicted and crave more of the nicotine likely resulting in ongoing use of the product and long term dependence. It can alter brain chemistry within 10 seconds of inhaling it. Adolescent brains develop until age 25 and the use of nicotine in a developing brain fundamentally changes the way a brain functions, increasing a likelihood for dependence to nicotine or other mood altering substances. Each year approximately 480,000 people will die from cigarette/vaping related deaths. Zero nicotine juice does exist, however studies have shown mislabeling of nicotine content to be a common problem.

Safety concerns Explosions can occur while using an e-cig. Explosions have typically occurred during charging, resulting in house and car fires, and sometimes causing physical injuries to those involved. According to Medpage Today, between 2015 and 2017, an estimated 2,035 explosions and burn injuries were presented to U.S hospitals Mechanical Mods and safety concerns - an unregulated device that has no safety protection. This can result in the device exploding. Mishandling of batteries-placing them in the device incorrectly, using the wrong type of battery just to name a few.

Can an E-Cigarette be used for others substances? Yes, devises can be used to ingest several other illicit substances.

How are schools handling this issue? Health Class Diversion Program Additional Responses Me!

What does an E-Cigarette look like? Current marketing has created a design for E- Cigarettes that unless someone knows what to look for can pass as typical office supplies. To an unknowing eye, this looks like a flash drive. However it is a JUUL –one version of an electronic cigarette that can not only be used to vape out of but also smoke marijuana out of.

Vape Pens This is a vape pen that also has an alternative use. It acts as a pen but also allows an individual to inhale both vape juice and marijuana. Unless someone knows what to look for, it is likely presumed to be just a pen.

Other images of E-Cigarettes Here are a few other images of E- Cigarettes.

How does my under age child purchase this? One way young people purchase them is to visit their website “verify” they are of age when entering the company’s websites, purchasing what item they want and having it shipped somewhere, either to home or alternative destination. It does not appear there is much of an ability to enforce age verification currently. Through the Dark Web which is untraceable if you have the software which allows the user and the website operator to remain anonymous making it hard for law enforcement to enforce the laws and regulations.