I couldn’t believe my eyes the other morning. While on my way to the office, I saw a teen riding his skateboard to junior high school.
He was visibly out of control and headed down a steep hill at an accelerated rate of speed. Heavy traffic. No helmet. Just the kind of thing that every parent (and pediatrician) has nightmares about.
As I looked closer to see if I happened to recognize the boy, he upped the ante by pulling out a vape pen, taking a hit and then raising his arms up like he just won the X Games — all while trying to regain control of his board.
After I arrived at the office, I replayed this visual over and over, trying to sort out what was more alarming: out-of-control skateboarding down a hill, in rush hour traffic without a helmet, or just how addicted some of our local teens have become to e-cigarettes?
My day continued with office visits by teenagers who wanted to tell me about how much vaping had impacted their lives, in just the first few weeks of school.
A few months ago, I wrote my first column on teen vaping with the hope of educating myself and other parents about the troubling trends in our community surrounding teens and e-cigarettes.
I offer you this second column on e-cigarettes to present serious, new health concerns and to share some recent perspectives from patients, parents, colleagues and educators.
New Reports of Severe Lung Injury and Deaths Associated with Vaping
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that it is investigating more than 805 cases of severe lung injury and at least 12 deaths associated with e-cigarettes.
Here is what we know so far. Nearly 75 percent of the cases are male, 67 percent of the patients are between the ages of 18and 34, 16 percent are younger than 18 years old and all of the reported cases have a history of vaping — with the majority admitting to vaping THC/marijuana. THC is the main psychoactive compound found in marijuana that creates a “high.”
Of the 13 reported deaths, two of the people were from California. Health officials are also concerned that we have seen local cases of severe lung injury associated with vaping THC.
How Are Our Local Teens Being Impacted By E-cigarettes?
Since the start of school, I have already heard several heartbreaking stories from local teens.
These sad tales involve some very bright and well-rounded students who have either dropped out of school or have changed schools because of new addictions to flavored nicotine or THC-containing e-cigarettes.
Several other teens (who don’t vape) confided in me that they have had to cut off friendships (and now feel isolated) because “all of their friends vape, all of the time.” Some are no longer comfortable palling around with peers they have known since kindergarten — friendships spanning 10 or more years.
When I consider how many of my patients are struggling with anxiety, depression and mood swings related to their vape addiction, it has me feeling anxious and depressed.
When I ask what most kids are vaping, the two most common responses are Juuls and dabs.
What are Juuls and dabs? Juuls are e-cigarettes that look like USB devices and come with pre-filled, flavored, supercharged nicotine pods. Dabs are vape pens that can be filled with a highly concentrated THC-containing liquid (marijuana).
When I ask where kids are vaping at school, I consistently hear about vaping in school bathrooms and sometimes in class, during class.
When I ask how kids are getting Juul pods and THC/marijuana, I am told that they are being purchased from other kids at school, off the Internet and in some cases from their friends’ parents!
What Are Parents Saying?
Unfortunately, most parents don’t really know the extent of what is going on — until it is too late. Many come to me after their kids have been sent to the principal’s office or after they have discovered contraband at home. While kids are very aware of the different brands, flavors and trends, most parents have not been able to wrap their head around just how prevalent teenage vaping is locally.
One of the more concerning trends I am hearing about has to do with parents supplying their kids (and their kids’ friends) with THC and allowing them to get high. Unsuspecting parents are fuming when they find out, after the fact, that their adult friends have been providing THC, vape pens and a place to get high for their children.
Other parents come to me asking why schools are allowing vaping to occur on campus? Their kids are coming home and telling their parents that they aren’t comfortable using bathrooms at school because of vaping. Others have shared stories of student-athletes vaping nicotine and THC on team buses and before/after games to relieve stress and “soreness.”
What Are Doctors Saying?
Until a few months ago, I really had no idea just how bad teen vaping was in our community. As I speak with more of my colleagues, I think we are all waking up to the reality that many of our patients are already addicted to flavored nicotine and THC/marijuana e-cigarettes.
The CDC report of 12 vaping-related deaths and more than 805 others who have developed severe lung disease is a stunning turn of events. The report of having this sudden-onset, severe vape-related lung disease locally has been a wakeup call to many in our medical community.
While experts are still trying to figure out what ingredient(s) in the e-cigarettes may be to blame, preliminary reports indicate that vaping THC/marijuana or “dabbing” seem to be the most common risk factors.
It is scary to think that local kids have access to and may be vaping a life-threatening chemical in their vape pens right now — as you are reading this column.
The Educator Perspective
I have personally seen some of what has been confiscated at our local schools, and it is disturbing. Local educators and administrators have confirmed what teens and their parents have shared with me about vaping at school — that it is routinely happening on campus, in bathrooms, between classes and even inside of classrooms.
I recognize a sense of helplessness from teachers who wonder why this is allowed to happen so openly on their campuses.
What Can We Do?
The No. 1 thing we can do as a community is to continue to talk about the dangers of teen vaping. We need to communicate openly and partner with our kids, their friends, fellow parents, parents of younger kids, educators and local leaders. We must demand more public awareness and accountability.
We need to get rid of flavored e-cigarettes. The flavors in e-cigarettes cover the harsh taste of nicotine and allow kids to take multiple hits without an overwhelming sense of nausea. Because of flavors, some teens can vape an entire Juul pod in a day — that’s the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes! The candy and fruity flavors are also very enticing to kids.
Some cities, states and chain stores have taken steps to ban flavored e-cigarettes. Breaking news from Washington, D.C., is that a nationwide ban on flavored nicotine may be coming in a matter of weeks. If you understand just how pervasive an issue this is for our youths, you will understand why this is so important.
Our schools need to make education and enforcement a priority. Ask any student, teacher or administrator on a junior high or high school campus, and I bet that most could tell you exactly which bathrooms are used for vaping. If we know where it is happening and when it is happening, then why is it allowed to continue? It is worth the resources to better monitor these locations either with school personnel or with vape detectors (think smoke detector, but for vape). School-based education about the dangers of e-cigarettes needs to start by sixth grade for students and their parents.
Banning flavored nicotine is not the whole story. The popularity of teenagers vaping highly concentrated THC/marijuana is emerging as a larger threat. Although THC/marijuana is not supposed to be legal for underage consumption, it seems to be readily available.
Vaping THC seems to be more closely associated with severe vaping-related lung injury and recent vaping deaths. Just because it is “legal” doesn’t mean that it is safe and without significant health risks to our youths.
Coaches can use their leadership roles to talk to their athletes about taking better care of their bodies. Vaping THC or nicotine is detrimental to an athlete’s physical and mental health. Some local high school coaches have successfully implemented voluntary drug-testing programs with their student-athletes, and this is a trend that would certainly send a strong message to an entire student body.
Adults, especially parents and local leaders, must set a good example. If an adult chooses to partake, at least do it away from your kids and please don’t become a supplier for other kids in our community.
Choose to Inhale Oxygen
Our lungs were created to inhale oxygen. With so many environmental efforts to keep our air clean, we are seeing an alarming trend of people wanting to breathe in chemicals, oils, heavy metals and other toxins directly into their fragile lungs.
Tonight, as you remind your teen not to forget to wear his helmet, don’t be afraid to ask him what he knows about vaping.
Smoking Hot Facts
» An e-cigarette is a handheld electronic device that allows a person to inhale aerosolized substances such as nicotine or THC/marijuana in a discreet way.
» E-cigs may look like regular cigarettes/cigars or may be stealthily designed to look like a pen, USB flash/thumb drive, battery charger, watch or an asthma inhaler.
» The current generation of e-cigs can deliver up to six times the amount of nicotine as the first generation of e-cigs, making it especially addictive. One Juul pod can contain the nicotine equivalent of 20 cigarettes.
» E-cig manufacturers cleverly use “flavors” such as cotton candy, fruit, cereal flavors, coffee and chocolate to mask the harsh taste of nicotine, making it easier for kids to tolerate large quantities of nicotine.
» Nicotine can cause permanent “rewiring” of a teenage brain that can alter attention span, memory function and the ability to learn. Nicotine can also enhance a teenager’s impulsivity and cause irritability, anxiety, mood swings and learning difficulties.
» The CDC is investigating 12 deaths and at least 805 cases of vaping-related lung disease.
— Dr. Dan Brennan is a board-certified pediatrician at Sansum Clinic. He can be contacted at 805.563.6211, or click here for more information about Santa Barbara Pediatrics. The opinions expressed are his own.
