According to the National Institutes of Health, "America's teens report a dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just a single year, with 37.3 percent of 12th graders reporting 'any vaping' in the past 12 months, compared to just 27.8 percent in 2017."
Vaping is on the rise among high school seniors, with 21% reporting vaping nicotine in the last 30 days - up 10% from the prior year.
Earlier this month, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced his resignation, prompting concern that his recent efforts to prevent youth from vaping may be thwarted or reversed.
This prompted the US Surgeon General to declare youth vaping an epidemic, citing that approximately two-thirds of JUUL (a popular vaping device) users aged 15-24 did not know that the substance always contains nicotine. According to Axis, since that time, the Food and Drug Administration has worked diligently to hold e-cigarette and vaping companies in check, making it harder for teens to acquire their products.
No successor for Scott Gottlieb has been announced; therefore, the future of these preventative initiatives is unclear, but our role isn't. We must talk with students about vaping often, answering their questions and helping them understand the risks.
Download the Parent's Guide to Vaping/Juuling created by Axis to help you start the conversation with your teens today.