While smoked tobacco use is on the decline among Mississippi youth, vaping is on the rise. Since 2010, e-cigarette use has increased by over 1000 percent in middle and high schoolers in Mississippi, according to mstobaccodata.org. Health officials and community leaders met recently at a Vaping Summit in Flowood to discuss the issue. Jill Gordon, Executive Director of Enrich MS, is one of the organizers. She says she caught her own son vaping.
"I was ashamed. As a parent, I was humiliated. I was disappointed that my child had done this at 12 years old. A 12-year-old having access to these products is a major problem in my opinion."
After this experience, Gordon wanted to address vaping issues to keep it out of the hands of other Mississippi youth. Her organization partnered with the Mississippi Department of Health to teach others about the dangers of vaping. Dr. Thomas Dobbs is the State Health Officer. He says vaping sets youth up for lifelong addictions.
"Increased risk of other substance abuse later in life, smoking cigarettes in other combustible forms, and probably cardiovascular disease. These are things that we need to act immediately to try to get these things out of the hands of our kids so that they won't have to suffer these lifelong health consequences."
Educators have banned vape products at schools, and now they are trying to change municipal laws to make it more difficult for teens to get vape products. Ben Stein is the Principal at Northwest Rankin High School in Flowood. He says a new ordinance is helping to lower the rates of teen vaping.
"From August to December we had about 70 incidents of vaping at our school. When the city ordinance started as soon as we got back from the Christmas holidays. We've had 4 incidents in the month of January and one incident in February so I believe the city ordinance has made a big impact on stopping this vaping epidemic."
Health officials say restricting the availability of vapes and educating parents on the dangers of nicotine are some of the most effective ways to reduce youth vaping.
