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Dear Editor:
Now that summer is officially over and Westfield Washington Schools are back in session, parents should take special note of what COULD be in your child’s backpack.
No matter what you want to call it (vaping or JUULing), e-cigarette use in both middle and high school has become an epidemic. Easily disguised as everyday items, these sneaky designs are loaded with nicotine, heavy metals, and other chemicals. Sadly, vapes can now look like phones, USB drives, highlighters, hoodie strings and many more items that are easy to hide and difficult to notice.
Nicotine is a powerful, addictive drug and is detrimental to an adolescent’s developing brain. Some of these products deliver massive amounts of nicotine with only one pod containing as much nicotine as an ENTIRE pack of cigarettes. Unfortunately, this is causing a new generation of nicotine users and also aids in our nation’s youth mental health crisis.
If vaping is currently affecting a young person in your life, there are resources available to help teens quit vaping for good! Youth can access the new ‘e-cigarette quit program’ themselves by texting “DITCHVAPE” to 88709 … or adults looking to help a young person quit can text “QUIT” to (202) 899-7550.
At Westfield Middle School, we are meeting this challenge head-on by starting a new club to celebrate youth who have committed to tobacco and nicotine-free lifestyles. Those student leaders will also seek to educate, empower, and engage their peers to do the same. The club will be called VOICE WMS and we will meet regularly to help educate all of WMS on this important topic.
Just as our generation was educated on the dangers of cigarette smoking, we have an obligation to educate today’s youth regarding the dangers of vaping.
Megan Collins
Wellness Teacher and VOICE WMS Sponsor
Westfield Middle School