Letter to the Editor

Are you Curious or Worried about Vaping?

Dear Editor,

This summer the Massachusetts Department of Public Health launched a statewide information campaign called “The New Look of Nicotine Addiction” and it’s all about vaping.  The website of the campaign, GetOutraged.org, is a resource to help parents of teenagers better understand what vaping is, how vaping can harm their teens,’ developing brains and to provide ideas for how parents can talk with their children about vaping and JUULing.

Youth are being targeted by the vaping and tobacco industries.  Unfortunately their tactics are working with nearly 1 in 4 high school youth in MA reporting that they use e-cigarettes.  How? Vape “juices” come in thousands of different flavors, such as Swedish Fish, s’mores, and mango.  Sweet flavors attract young people and are the leading reason that youth are vaping. But these products are not harmless; there is nicotine in them, even possibly in some of those that say they have none. Nicotine is highly addictive and can damage a young person’s developing brain. It changes the way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning. Nicotine exposure can also lead to mood disorders, and can permanently lower impulse control.

If you would like to know more about vaping, please visit GetOutraged.org.

There you can see what vaping products look like, get more answers to frequently asked questions and learn more about how to talk with your kids about vaping.  Printed materials are available to order free of charge or to download and you can learn about other actions you can take.

Talk with your kids about vaping and make sure they know it’s harmful. Visit GetOutraged.org to learn more or contact me, Edgar Duran Elmudesi, of the Metro Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership, at 617-451-0049 x549, or eduran@hria.org.

Sincerely,

Edgar Duran Elmudesi, MSW

Metro Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partner