New Vaping Prevention Program Kicks Off In County Schools

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — With an eye toward tackling an "eye-opening" rise in e-cigarette use among teens, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced the launch of a new vaping prevention program in four school districts.

The pilot "Vape Out" program is slated to be rolled out in the Hampton Bays, Port Jefferson, Bayport-Blue Point and North Babylon school districts, he said.

“The popularity of electronic cigarettes has exploded into mainstream culture to the point where school officials in Suffolk County have asked our public health officials for clarity and assistance in dealing with record numbers of students who are vaping on school grounds,” said Bellone. “A few weeks ago, I signed legislation to increase the fine for the sale of all tobacco products, including vaping products, to minors. This month, we are piloting Vape Out and look forward to assisting school officials throughout our county in the coming months.”

Vape Out, he said, employs a three-pronged approach to vaping prevention, including a peer-to-peer education program, an alternative-to-suspension enforcement program, and a community-and-parent education forum.

The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 30, Bellone said.

The Teens-Teaching-Teens Peer Education Program will encompass approximately 30 student volunteers who will spend a full day learning about vaping and how to talk to younger students about the dangers of vaping, Bellone said.

Presentation and communication skills will be taught using dynamic, interactive-applied- improvisation methods. Peer education programs have been shown to be a protective factor in preventing risky behaviors for the teen presenters as well as for the students that they teach, he said.

The second prong of the comprehensive program, the Alternative-to-Suspension Program, encourages school administrators to require students who have been reprimanded for vaping to attend a customized education intervention in lieu of school suspension, a release from Bellone's office added.

Students in the program will complete a self-assessment, discuss the harmful effects of vaping, demonstrate refusal skills, evaluate toxic media bombardment, and discuss the New York Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act. The Office of Health Education has begun train-the-trainer programs for school staff who will be able to use health department resources and design and teach their own classes, the release said.

The third prong to the Vape Out program is community education. To that end, Suffolk County Department of Health Service educators will conduct parent forums with parent-teacher organizations, youth bureaus and agencies and employ a variety of educational tools, including videos, props, power-point presentations, and role-play activities, to fully inform the public.

Suffolk County has been a statewide leader in the effort to protect youth from the harmful effects of vaping. Bellone has made media appearances to discuss prevention and enforcement efforts underway in Suffolk County to combat illegal sales of e-cigarettes to minors.

In addition, Bellone signed legislation to increase penalties for unlawfully selling nicotine products to those under 21, and supports legislation sponsored by Suffolk County Legislator Doc Spencer that would restrict flavored vape products across Suffolk County, he said.

Dr. James Tomarken, Commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, described what he said is a dangerous problem: “Vaping represents one of the biggest health hazards to youth since tobacco use and we need to get the word out. The term ‘vaping’ itself is a misnomer that implies that these devices are delivering water vapor, when in fact they deliver an aerosol that may contain ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and chemicals that hamper brain development and are linked to addiction, lung disease, and cancer," he said.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control National Youth Tobacco Survey, e-cigarette use among U.S. high school students increased by 78 percent between 2017 and 2018, and the nation is now grappling with how to address the fact that more than 3.6 million high school and middle school students are currently using e-cigarettes, according to Bellone. In the last days of 2018, one in five high school students and one in 20 middle school students reported using e-cigarettes, the release said.

Hampton Bays has been proactive in raising awareness; the district, in conjunction with the Suffolk County Department of Health, hosted an informative community workshop in December.

The goal of the workshop was shedding light on the "vaping epidemic that is sweeping across schools," the district said.

During the session, parents and community members heard from Stephanie Sloan, MS, CASAC, senior drug abuse educator from the Suffolk County Department of Health, who provided an overview of vaping and laws pertaining to vaping nicotine and THC.

An informational session was also held in the Riverhead School District in April, 2018.

Parents may not be aware that although it appears their teen is holding a USB stick, it may actually be a JUUL, or an e-cigarette; the e-cig device has replaceable pods that come in eight different flavors and deliver as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes, some have pointed out.

Even though the Food and Drug Administration has said that "electronic nicotine delivery systems" cannot be sold to anyone younger than 18 years of age, JUULs are enormously popular to teenagers.

A survey conducted in 2013-14 found that 81 percent of young e-cigarette used said the availability of appealing flavors is main reason for using them. According to JUUL's website, the flavors include Virginia Tobacco, Classic Tobacco, Creme, Mango, Cucumber, Menthol and Mint.
In September, the FDA announced that the use of e-cigarettes by teenagers has now reached an epidemic proportion.

With that announcement, the administration said it sent warning letters to 1,100 retailers and issued another 131 fines, that range from almost $300 to more than $11,000 for selling e-cigarettes to minors, the New York Times said.

And it's not just mom-and-pop vape shops that were targeted. Walgreens, 7-Eleven stores, Circle K convenience shops and Shell gas stations are among those who received the warning letters, according to the post.

In New York, nine establishments received warnings or a monetary penalty from the FDA since April for selling e-cigarettes to minors, including two on Long Island.

A statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. said that e-cigarettes may present "a important opportunity for adult smokers to transition off combustible tobacco products and onto nicotine delivery products that may not have the same level of risks associated with them."

Unfortunately, the agency's enthusiasm for getting rid of the burning of tobacco to release nicotine for inhalation allowed it to miss what is now believed to be an epidemic of e-cigarette use among teens, some believe. Gottlieb has said his agency is "seriously" reconsidering the Aug. 8, 2022, compliance date for submission of product applications and will focus on the flavored e-cigarettes.

"Today, we sent letters to five e-cigarette manufacturers whose products were sold to kids during the enforcement blitz and that, collectively, represent more than 97 percent of the current market for e-cigs — JUUL, Vuse, MarkTen, blu e-cigs and Logic. These brands will be the initial focus of our attention when it comes to protecting kids," he said.

"We're committed to the purpose of harm reduction," Gottlieb said. "We're committed to saving lives. And we're committed to changing the trajectory of death and disease from tobacco."

Additional reporting by Michael Woyton.

Image via Shutterstock.