Submitted
Many concerned community members and even local State Senator Fady Qaddoura gathered or joined virtually last Tuesday at the Delaware Township Community Center to educate themselves about vaping.
Event attendees listened to a panel of local experts and a national speaker, Dorian Fuhrman, the co-founder of PAVe (Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes.) Panelists included educators from the Hamilton County and Fishers health departments, a critical care nurse on the CVTU (Cardiothoracic Vascular Transplant Unit, a parent of a youth hospitalized by vaping, the Youth Coordinator for VOICE Indiana (a statewide youth advocacy program) and two local youth advocates, Elizabeth Burgess and Suhita Chintalaruva.
The program, titled “What’s All the Buzz About?,” shared statistics from local data gathered from the Indiana Youth Tobacco survey that highlighted why youth use e-cigarettes. An alarming statistic shared was that 35.1 percent of middle schoolers and 32.8 percent of high schoolers use flavored products. The presenters also shared how predatory targeting by the tobacco industry has not only targeted youth, but the LGBTQ community, military veterans, racial and ethnic minorities, low-income neighborhoods, and rural populations.
Sen. Qaddoura, representing Senate District 30, attended virtually and addressed the crowd after CBS4 news anchor and panel moderator Angela Brauer acknowledged him for being on the call. Qaddoura said, “I am honored to be with you today to support this amazing initiative to raise awareness and educate the public about the dangers of smoking in all shapes, forms and ways.”
Brauer seemed stunned at times, even when she shared the latest facts released by the National Youth Tobacco Survey. “Two million kids are still vaping today!” Brauer said. “And they are reporting they are doing it every day.”
After realizing the box of vapes sitting in front of Elizabeth Burgess were all vapes that she personally used, Brauer exclaimed, “Wow!” Burgess then shared she spent over $14,000 on vaping collectively over four years. Brauer responded by saying, “Some things we learn today might leave us a little speechless.”
The discussion ended with a call to action to get involved, educate yourself, and help support these addicted youth.