E-CIGARETTES & VAPING

A Guide to the Youth Vaping Epidemic

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Heather Lopez, Nancy Soto Ramirez, & Tammy Manning

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Placer County Office of Education

Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE)

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hlopez@placercoe.org

nsotoramirez@placercoe.org

tmanning@placercoe.org

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Battery

What Are E-Cigarettes?

E-CIGS AND VAPES

3

1^st Gen

2^nd Gen

3^rd Gen

4^th Gen

Emerging new product: Nicotine pouches

• Zyn pouches are a non-smoking use of nicotine
• Placed in between lip and gums
• Also come in flavors
• Marketed on social media as a product which is easier to hide

AEROSOL VS. WATER VAPOR

• A mixture of liquid particles suspended in a gas
• Instead of just mixing with the air like a pure gas, aerosols can leave drops behind

• Visible exhalation, such as steam or fog
• Water vapor disappears completely when cooled

Aerosol

Vapor

≈41

CIGARETTES

≈50

CIGARETTES

≈90

CIGARETTES

1 Pack of Cigarettes

≈20 mg of nicotine

1 JUUL pod

≈41.3 mg of nicotine

1 Puff bar

≈50 mg of nicotine

1 Suorin pod

≈90 mg of nicotine

ALL PODS CONTAIN HIGH LEVELS OF NICOTINE

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN VAPING?

• Nicotine:
• Provides a buzz
• Relaxing
• Stimulates the release of an excess

of dopamine

• Just as addictive as heroin, cocaine,

and alcohol

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• Dopamine:
• Feels good
• Creates drive to continue seeking the source of the dopamine overload
• Brain no longer feels the same reward from natural sources of dopamine

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ADDICTION

CYCLE OF NICOTINE ADDICTION

STATISTICS FROM 2024

COST OF VAPING

Average Weekly Cost:

• Disposables/pods (3-15mL) average cost ~$14.00
• E-liquid (30mL) average cost ~$13.00

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Average Yearly Cost:

• $14.00 (1 vape a wk) x 52 weeks= $728 a year
• $56.00 (4 vapes a wk) x 52 weeks= $2,912 a year

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WHY ARE YOUTH VAPING?

• Adolescent Development:
• Risk-taking stage of life
• Individuating
• Rebellion
• Stress and Expectations:
• Academic/School
• Extracurricular: sports, arts, etc.
• Family/Home life
• Peer pressure
• Social Media Pressures:
• Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.
• Social Media portrays unrealistic goals and standards for everyone.

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“Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer, and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while still in their teens.”

Tobacco Executive, 1984

WHAT ARE THEY SEEING IN MEDIA?

& BIG TOBACCO

RJ Reynolds/

Lorillard

Altria

(Phillip Morris)

British American Tobacco

VAPE BRANDS

Blu & VUSE

Green Smoke, MarkTen & JUUL

VYPE

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

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• DON’T PANIC:
• Most of your kids are not vaping :)
• Educate, educate, educate:
• Early and often—students/parents. NICOTINE IS DANGEROUS!
• Never too early to start prevention
• Remember Balance:
• This is not US vs THEM
• Risk-taking and rebellion is a natural part of adolescence
• Acknowledge the stress your kids face as teens today

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

• Sweet or interesting scents, fun flavors:
• Can smell like lotions or perfumes.

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• Unfamiliar USB drives, battery chargers or spare parts:
• E-cig parts, cartridges, spare wires, cotton balls or small containers (“pods”).

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• Lung Illnesses:
• Pneumonia: Nanoparticles present in e-cig vapor cause inflammation in the lungs.

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• Irritability, restlessness, sleeplessness:
• Addicts get irritable and have trouble sleeping.

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HOW TO TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT VAPING

-Know the facts. Get credible information about vaping and young people

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-Remain calm. Look for opportunities to talk with your child

Kids who regularly have to check in with parents about their free time are

half as likely to try tobacco products.

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-Goal is to have a conversation- not deliver a lecture

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-Avoid criticism

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“I hear a lot of kids are vaping at school. Is that something you’re seeing?”

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Parents of young people who cape can test QUIT to (202) 899-7550 to receive text messages designed specifically for them

HOW TO TALK TO YOUR KIDS

ABOUT VAPING

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-Bits and pieces- It’s o.k. for your conversation to take

place over time

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-Answer their questions

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-Encourage healthy alternatives to vaping

journaling volunteering learn a new hobby go for a walk

exercising reading get together with a friend

meditation hiking listening to music/playing an instrument

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-Positive peers- encourage your child to surround themselves with peers who

are a positive influence on them

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Parents of young people who cape can test QUIT to (202) 899-7550 to receive text messages designed specifically for them

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?

• Protective Factors:

-Encourage your child to talk to other trusted adults- teachers, coaches, faith leaders, counselors, etc.

-Talk to health care provider

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• Connect with what your child cares about:

-Vaping can prevent them from achieving future goals

• Physical damage to lungs and brain affects athletic

performance

• Takes a toll on mood, memory, attention span
• Can impact academic, music, or career goals

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state level- Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes (PAVE), Endvaping.org, write to local representatives, etc.-- ways to advocate for the health and safety of kids

QUITTING RESOURCES

• Kick It CA - Kickitca.org

A text program, app, and telephone hotline created for teens and adults to quit tobacco and vaping

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• SmokefreeTXT for Teens - teen.smokefree.gov/

A resource that offers advice, quit support, and motivation to remain nicotine and tobacco-free

Text QUIT to 47848 to sign up!

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REFERENCES

https://med.stanford.edu/tobaccopreventiontoolkit.html

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/index.htm?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fe-cigarettes%2Findex.html

https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/youth-tobacco-use-results-national-youth-tobacco-survey

www.apa.org

http://www.studentsagainstnicotine.org/

https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2018/07/26/poll-u-s-smoking-rate-falls-to-historic-low-infographic/#30e7080c3351

https://www.catch.org/

http://www.panmn.org/teachers

https://teen.smokefree.gov

https://time.com/5692387/vaping-related-death-toll/

https://www.statista.com/

http://www.drugpolicy.org/safetyfirst/download

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