Everything Parents Want To Know About Vaping In Burlington

BURLINGTON, MA -- Teens are twice as likely to use electronic cigarettes than smoke cigarettes, but many parents don' know what to look for or what risks vaping poses to their kids. To help alleviate the information gap, Burlington Public Schools and School Resource Officer Keith Sheppard will hold a repeat of a discussion on the topic on May 3 at 7:00 PM at the Burlington High School Cafeteria.

In addition to discussing current and proposed school policies, Sheppard will have samples of popular electronic cigarettes for parents to inspect and will show a video that outlines why the habit is so appealing to kids. Spoiler alert: a lot of teens vape because they think its safer than smoking cigarettes.

Take, for instance, a 2016 study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that two-thirds of teens thought their e-cigs contained "just flavoring." Just 13.2% knew that electronic cigarettes contained nicotine. And 30.7% of tens that vape will start smoking cigarettes within six months, compared to 8.1% of non-vapers.

Vaping continues to grow in popularity, even as more information about potential health risks comes to light. In 2013, teens who smoked outnumbered teens who used electronic cigarettes by a margion of two-to-one. In just two years, those ratios had flip-flopped, with 14% of 10th graders using electronic cigarettes, compared to just 6.8% who smoked cigarettes.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).