MANCHESTER — Breathe New Hampshire is offering a free program, Vaping Unveiled, for parents, educators and the community on Thursday, April 11 from 5:30-7 p.m. about e-cigarettes, “Juuling,” and the impact of nicotine addiction on youth.
The FDA and the CDC call youth vaping an epidemic. Kids cite the many fruit and candy flavors and the nicotine “buzz” as what draws them to vape or “Juul.” Plus, it’s “cool.”
Nearly one-quarter of New Hampshire youth vape, one of the highest rates in the country. A vape flavor pod or device may contain as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes.
E-cigarettes and “vapes” are electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). These battery-powered devices heat (or vaporize, hence vape) a liquid solution (“e-juice”) to produce an inhalable aerosol. They are advertised as safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes and as an aid to quitting smoking.
The devices have become increasingly popular in high schools and middle schools, even though it’s illegal for minors to buy or use them. Vapes may be disguised as thumb drives (Juul), lipstick or mascara, and medical inhalers. Ninety-nine percent of these devices contain nicotine, a highly addictive poison, which adversely affects still-developing brains, physicians say, and is considered a gateway drug.
Breathe New Hampshire, a century-old lung health nonprofit, is able to offer Vaping Unveiled for free thanks to support from CVS Health’s #BeTheFirst, a five-year initiative to help deliver the nation’s first tobacco-free generation.
Join us at Breathe NH’s office at 145 Hollis Street, Unit C, Manchester, to learn why teen vaping and e-cigarette use is a public health concern. Please RSVP to 603-669-2411, or by emailing info@breathenh.org. There is free parking onsite; light refreshments will be served. See www.BreatheNH.org.