James Visaya uses a 'box mod' vape in this Chronicle file photo.
Widespread concerns about a recent rise in the use of vapor products among teens has some Lewis County school district employees scouring for effective ways to educate youth on its dangers, especially in light of a statewide survey that shows more Lewis County youth report vaping than the state average.
“It’s like any contraband issue — we have to address it. But it’s so easy to conceal. There’s no aroma; there’s no vapor,” said Geoff Parks, Napavine School District superintendent, in response to a statewide report indicating an 8 percent increase among 10th graders in vaping from 2016 to 2018.
The 2019 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey (HYS), in fact, revealed four times as many 10th graders reported vaping (21 percent) as smoking cigarettes (5 percent) in 2018 statewide.
Lewis County results show students were more likely in every grade level surveyed to use vapor products than the state average. According to the survey, 4 percent of local sixth graders, 14 percent of eighth graders, 24 percent of 10th graders and 37 percent of 12th graders use vapor products in Lewis County compared to 3 percent, 10 percent, 21 percent and 30 percent, respectively, on a state level.
Of local 10th graders who reported using a vapor product, 64 percent reported the product contained nicotine, 15 percent was marijuana, 22 percent had a flavor only, and 9 percent didn’t know what substance was present, according to the survey.
And though vaping is less harmful than traditional smoking, as per Dr. Michael Blaha, director of research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, it remains a damaging practice due to nicotine being the primary agent in both regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
A recent outbreak of lung disease in the United States has resulted in seven deaths, including the demise of a 40-year-old California resident last weekend, according to CNN.
What’s more, the fatalities have prompted the Trump administration to call for a ban of flavored e-cigarettes that health officials caution are making the products “too appealing” to teens.
Onalaska School District Superintendent Jeff Davis acknowledged the escalating concern by telling The Chronicle how he has already seen a surge in vaping in the first three weeks of the new school year.
“We’ve had two students vaping on one of our buses. It’s not relegated to our classrooms. They’re trying to get away with it in other venues as well,” said the public official.
To combat the soaring trend, students in Davis’ district are being instructed to research the impacts of e-cigarette/vapor products and devices and write two-page reports on the subject matter.
Similarly, Luke Salme, a counselor at the Adna School District, believes that talking to kids is one approach in making them aware of the potentially fatal repercussions of vaping. In addition, he advises showing them videos and inviting experts to provide insight on the topic.
He said that a representative from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office will be meeting with local youth next month to not only discuss vaping, but also improper cell phone use in the form of cyberbullying, sharing photos and posting inappropriate content.
“This is a tough one,” Salme said. “The ability to be sneaky about it is much different than what we faced before. We hear things all the time of kids doing it, but it’s hard to catch them. Kids are very impressionable when it comes to (being influenced) by their peers.”
And although the numbers of this national scourge remain rather low on a local level according to each of the district reps we’ve spoken to, Salme remains concerned and conceded that it’s something that everyone needs to “stay on top of.”
When contacting Lewis County Public Health and Social Services, The Chronicle learned that research into vaping produced data providing insight into the long-term effects of the epidemic.
The department’s prevention contracts coordinators Emily Killeen and Isaac Wulff communicated how vaping at an early age can often serve as a gateway to using other noxious substances. A recent analysis, said Wulff, found students who are actively vaping are about four times more likely to develop an addiction to nicotine.
He further added that only 5 percent of youth who are not currently participating in vaping practices develop into marijuana smokers, while that percentage goes up 50 percent for young vapers.
Lewis County Health Officer Dr. Rachel Wood explained the nationwide pattern by saying humans naturally enjoy the feeling of putting things in their mouths. One of her major apprehensions with e-cigarettes is that their products are “unregulated” and “have no oversight.”
Dr. Wood recommends chewing sugarless gum or drinking lots of water as alternatives to vaping that aren’t as harmful.
“A huge amount of benefit comes from parents having conversations with their kids. The parents should be educated as well,” Killeen said.
Both Killeen and Wulff hope to conduct public training sessions with adult teachers, caretakers and coaches to elucidate details of vaping that they may not be privy to. Local groups interested in organizing a seminar can call the coordinators at 360-740-1434.
