{"id":1812,"date":"2023-11-27T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shinsori.me\/?p=1812"},"modified":"2023-11-28T01:44:57","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T01:44:57","slug":"how-to-prevent-youth-from-vaping-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/shinsori.me\/index.php\/2023\/11\/27\/how-to-prevent-youth-from-vaping-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"How to prevent youth from vaping | Opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Many<\/p>\n

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Many in Utah are concerned about a vaping epidemic among young people in the state, driven by illegal, flavored, disposable e-cigarettes. <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n

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Adobe.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Unknown to many, there is a vaping epidemic among young people here in Utah, driven by illegal, flavored, disposable e-cigarettes. With the potential that these products could even be laced with fentanyl<\/a>, the danger is more threatening than ever. The federal government has been lax in its willingness to address the issue as these illicit products continue to enter our borders. The good news, however, is our local health departments are in a unique position to take action now. <\/p>\n

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data from the annual National Youth Tobacco Survey<\/a>. The data shows that, while cigarette smoking continues to decline to the lowest levels recorded, use of disposable e-cigarettes has increased 2,617%<\/a> since 2019. More troubling is that for the first time, the vape brands that teens report using most are already illegal for sale under federal law. Elf Bar, the brand cited by over 57% of children, is banned nationwide but still finding its way into backpacks and middle school bathrooms.<\/p>\n

Recently, Braden Ainsworth, the tobacco prevention and control program manager for Utah\u2019s Department of Health and Human Services, told the state Legislature\u2019s Health and Human Services Interim Committee that local health departments would begin stepping up enforcement against these illegal, disposable vapes, like Esco Bars and Elf Bar, that are overwhelmingly popular among kids and teens. The anticipated action comes in response to Chinese manufacturers routinely flouting the law to get their products into children\u2019s hands. While unethical, that certainly is what we are seeing here in Utah.<\/p>\n

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