SAFE GC Coalition:GC Detective Educates Parents on E-Cigs, Vaping

On May 16th Detective Lineras of the Glen Cove Police Department conducted a presentation about vaping, e-cigarettes and its negative consequences for parents enrolled in SAFE’s Life Skills Program, an evidence-based substance use and violence prevention program designed to help strengthen communication between parents and their children and prevent them from using drugs. Laurent Caballero, SAFE’s bilingual outreach worker and Life Skills Training Parent Program Facilitator, leads the group Tuesday evenings for eight weeks every Fall and Spring at the Deasy School.

Detective Linares spoke about what an electronic cigarette actually is - a battery powered device called an e-cigarette that heats a liquid into a vapor that can be inhaled. The vapor may contain nicotine (the addictive drug in tobacco), flavoring, and other chemicals. They are sometimes called “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” “vapes,” “tank systems,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems.” E-cigarettes are made to look like regular cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Some resemble pens, USB sticks, and other everyday items.

Exposure to nicotine during youth can lead to addiction and cause long-term harm to brain development. The e-cigarette aerosol that users breathe from the device and exhale can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances: nicotine, heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead, cancer causing chemicals, flavoring such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease. Detective Lineras went on to share the laws and to purchase a JULL, individuals need to be 21 years old. He expressed how important it is for parents to be aware of how their young children are buying electronic cigarettes.

According to a study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among youth. In 2018, 3.6 million U.S. middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Youth are more likely than adults to use e-cigarettes. Reported use of vaping nicotine nearly doubled among high school seniors from 11 percent in 2017 to 20.9% in 2018. More than one in 10 eighth graders (10.9%) say they vaped nicotine in the past year, and use is up significantly in virtually all vaping measures among eighth, 10th and 12th graders. Reports of past year marijuana vaping also increased this year, at 13.1% for 12th graders, up from 9.5% last year.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a United States federal-government research institute whose mission is to "lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction.” For more information please visit www.drugabuse.gov.

The SAFE Glen Cove Coalition is consistently monitoring alcohol and substance use trends in youth and adults. Due to the alarming vape trend, a dedicated page educating the public about the facts and myths of vaping can now be found on the SAFE website at www.safeglencove.org. To learn more about the SAFE Glen Cove Coalition please follow us www.facebook.com/safeglencovecoalition.