SWEEPING
SWEEPING THE COUNTRY. WE'VE SEEN A SHARP SPIKE N THE NUMBER OF TEENS VAPING AND USING E-
CIGARETTES.
THE NUMBERS ARE GROWING SO
RAPIDLY, THE F-D-A COMMISSIONER
CALLS IT AN EPIDEMIC. OUR
12NEWS ANCHOR LAUREN HENSLEY
LOOKED INTO E-CIG USE IN OUR
AREA.
KEVIN-ERIKA... ACCORDING TO
THE TEXAS YOUTH TOBACCO SURVEY--
25% OF TEXAS TEENS HAVE ADMITTED
TO USING AN E-CIGARETTE OR VAPE.
BUT WHAT'S EVEN MORE ALARMING,
THE MAJORITY OF THOSE TEENS WHO
ADMITTED TO USING --- AREN'T
AWARE OF THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF
VAPING.
IT OOKS LIKE LOOK A FLASH
DRIVE.... BUT IN THIS CASE,
LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING. IT'S AN
ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE.
"A LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
TEACHER'S HAVE BEEN FINDING
THESE PRODUCTS ALL OVER THE
SCHOOL. AND THAT'S A SCARY
THING." THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED BE
II SCHOOL AND THEY AREN'T
SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE HANDS OF
ANYONE UNDER 18. BUTTTHEY ARE.
THE C-D-C ESTIMATES IN 2017,
MORE THAN 2.1 MILLION TEENS
SMOKED AN E- CIGARETTES.
IN TEXAS, 1 IN FOUR STUDENTS
HAVE ADMITTED TO USING ONE. MANY
USING IN SCHOOL.
"WE SAW A SPIKE AT THE END OF
THE 2017 SCHOOL YEAR SO THROUGH
LAST YEAR, I GUESS, WE HAD A
LARGE YEAR OF VAPES AND A NUMBER
OF KIDS AND VAPES CONFISCATED
FROM KIDS." THE PRINCIPAL AT
LUMBERTON HIGH SCHOOL WORKED
WITH ADMINISTRATORS TO UPDATE
THE DISTRICT'S DISCIPLINE POLICY
TO INCLUDE VAPING. HE SAYS
EDUCATORS NAB ABOUT 3 DEVICES
PER WEEK. STUDENTS WHO ARE
CAUGHT FACE AN IN SCHOOLLSUSPEN
EDUCATORS NAB ABOUT 3 DEVICES PER WEEK. STUDENTS WHO ARE CAUGHT FACE AN IN SCHOOLLSUSPENA
PORTION OF WHAT HAS BEEN
DISCOVERED OVER THE LAST YEAR
AND A HALF"
JUUL DOMINATES WHEN IT COMES TO
E-CIGARETTE SALES WITH MORE THAN
70 PERCENT MARKET SHARE. USIIG A
JUUL DEVICE IS REFEREED TO AS
JUULING. JUUL OFFERS FLAVORS
LIKE BUBBLE GUMMAND COTTON
CANDY. CRITICS, LIKE THE
ADVOCACY GROUP "TEXANS STANDING
TALLL" SAY THESE FLAVORS ARE
PART OF THE APPEAL.
"FLAVOR AND LOOK HAVE A BIG
PART OF
PART OF
IT.
IT. AND
IT. AND ALSO, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THEY DON'T CONTAIN NICOTINE."
REMEMBER THAT STUDY WE
MENTIONED -- WHERE A FOURTH
TEENS ADMITTED TO VAPING? 63% OF
THOSE USERS DIDN'T KNOW THE
PRODUCT CONTAINED NICOTINE.
"THEY THINK IT'S SAFE BECAUSE
THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE DANGER
IN IT.
A JUUL SPOKESPERSON TELLS
12NEWS, "UNDERAGE USE OF JUUL.
IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE TO US
AND IS DIRECTLY OPPOSED TO OUR
MISSION OF ELIMINATING
CIGARETTES BY OFFERING EXISTING
ADULT SMOKERS A TRUE
ALTERNATIVE." SO HOW ARE THESE
DEVICES GETTING INTO THE HANDS
OF TEEES? CRITICS DON'T THINK
SMOKE SHOPS ARE TO BLAME.
AALOT OF THESE KIDS ARE ORDERING
THEM ONLINE AND THEY DON'T HAVE
THE PROPER CREDENTIALS TO SHOW
THAT THEY ARE OF AGE TO PURCHASE
THESE VAPES. SO I THINK THE
ONLINE METHOD IS HOW THEY ARE
PURCHASING.
A JUUL SPOKESPERSON TELLS
12NEWS--- THE COMPANY HAS
IMPLEMENTED A STRONGER ONLINE
AGE VERIFICATION PROCESS. IT'S
ALSO MAKING EVERY EFFORT NOT TO
MARKET TO TEENS. STILL FOR THOSE
EDUCATORS WHO ARE CONFRONTED
WITH THIS PROBLEM EVERY DAY,
IT'S NOT ENOUGH. THEY SAY UNTIL
NEW REGULATIONS ARE IMPLEMENTED,
PARENTS NEED TO STEP IN.
"RESEARCH
"RESEARCH SHOWS THAT VAPES APPEAR TO BE NOT AS SAFE AS WE THINK. SO DO YOUR RESEARCH ON
IT. DO YOUR HOMEWORK ON IT
BEFORE YOUR ALLOW YOUR KID TO
PARTICIPATE. "
ERIKA-KEVIN-- A VERY IMPORTANT
CONVERSATION TO HAVE WITH YOUR CHILD. IT SEEMS-- MANY TEENS DON'T UNDERSTAND THE
CHEMICALS THEY ARE INGESTING
WHEN THEY JUUL OR VAPE. AND WHEN
I ASKED PRINCIPAL DAVIS IF THERE
ARE ANY TENDS EMERGING AS
TO
TO WHICH
TO WHICH TEENS JUULING-- HE SAID
THERE
THERE ARE
THERE ARE NO TRENDS. HE SAYS IT
DOES
DOES NOT
DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE AND THEY ARE SEEING TEENS FROM ALL WWLKS OF LIFE USING.