Responding to the Needs of Children of the Drug Crisis- 2023 Report

YOUTH VAPING

West Virginia has the highest percentage of youth vaping in the country, and they are increasingly vaping at school. Vaping can cause severe health consequences because the devices contain tobacco and other harmful substances.  We should do more to curb youth vaping, especially in schools.

Attendees saw vaping in school, primarily in bathrooms, as a potential way for students to unsuspectingly try harder drugs. A few attendees in different community meetings shared that their children have told them that drugs have been passed around via vaping pens in bathrooms on campus.

WEST VIRGINIA HAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF YOUTH VAPING IN THE COUNTRY.

Because of this, some schools have installed vape detectors.

In August 2023, Governor Jim Justice announced the West Virginia’s Clear Future: Don’t Let Vaping Cloud It initiative. The initiative does not have a website or online presence. Still, according to a press release, it will implement the CATCH My Breath vaping prevention curriculum. This evidence-based, peer-led program will begin in year one with West Virginia middle schools.

Advocates should assess which county school systems are responding to the escalation of youth vaping and be transparent with parents about what they’re doing to address it.

Resources and How to Get Involved

• We’ve compiled school vaping policies for this project’s service area: Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam Counties.

• Learn more about Catch My Breath: Evidence-Based Vaping Prevention Program.

• Read the CDC’s Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults.

• Read the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ 2020 report, West Virginia Youth and Vaping: A Dangerous Combination.

• The West Virginia Division of Tobacco Prevention is the lead state agency for comprehensive tobacco prevention, cessation, and control. Contact them to learn more about what the state agency is doing to address youth vaping and about the implementation of the Catch My Breath program.

WE SHOULD DO MORE TO CURB YOUTH VAPING, ESPECIALLY IN SCHOOLS.