• Vaping & Nicotine Prevention

     

    Vapes and cigarettes are a lot alike. They both put nicotine and cancer-causing chemicals in your body. And they are both highly addictive and dangerous for young people.

    Vaping is, unfortunately, becoming more popular with adolescents and teens. Vape products are known by many different names; they are sometimes called e-cigarettes, e-cigs, e-hookahs, mods, vape pens, vapes, tank systems, and electronic nicotine delivery systems.

    Most vaping devices contain and deliver nicotine into the lungs, which can harm a teenager’s developing brain and lead to addiction. But nicotine is not the only substance of concern found in vape devices. Vape and e-juices are aerosols that are often mistaken for water vapor. These aerosols contain fine particles, which may include heavy metals (such as nickel, lead, and tin), flavoring (such as diacetyl), and volatile organic compounds. People who start using tobacco at an early age are more likely to develop an addiction than those who start at a later age, and kids who use vapor products are more likely to go on to smoke cigarettes.

    Vaping is Addictive

    • Vapes and e-juices contain nicotine, an addictive chemical that is extremely hard to quit.
    • Nicotine is the same drug used in cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products.
    • Some vape pods have as much nicotine as 20 cigarettes (a pack of cigarettes).
    • Because the brain continues to develop until the mid-20s, young people have a greater risk of becoming addicted to nicotine.
    • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the organization that makes sure drugs are safe and effective. This is called “regulating.” The FDA is supposed to regulate e-juices and vaping devices; they have not started regulating e-juices and vaping devices yet so we cannot be sure what is in these products.

     

    For More Information: Drug-Free Greater Lowell