Riley Schmidt, a junior at Humboldt High School, worries her peers are putting themselves in danger by vaping.
?They don?t understand the health effects it has and will have on them,? she said. ?I don?t want to grow up and have all my friends be dead because they were vaping in their teens.?
That?s why Schmidt has teamed up with other teens and adult community leaders to educate about the dangers of vaping, alcohol and drug abuse. The Allen County Multi-Agency Team (ACMAT) is entering its fifth year of a Drug Free Communities grant that promotes education and advocacy at school districts in Iola, Humboldt and Moran.
Jessica McGinnis, with Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, is the new community coordinator for the program and said vaping is the primary concern right now for parents, school administrators and students.
At least 12 deaths in the U.S. have been blamed on vaping-related breathing illnesses, and 805 confirmed and probable cases have been reported as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Illnesses have been reported in almost every state, with two deaths confirmed in Kansas.
Officials first took notice of the illnesses earlier this summer.
Vaping is relatively new. It?s the act of inhaling and exhaling an aerosol vapor from an electronic device filled with either nicotine, THC (a chemical found in marijuana, which produces a high) or CBD (cannabidiol, which is found in hemp and contains low or no amount of THC). The electronic device contains other chemicals and metals, and can include flavoring like mango or mint.
E-cigarettes were introduced in 2007 and were touted as a smokeless alternative to cigarettes, even as a way to help smokers kick the habit. They?re small and don?t produce smoke.
The most popular vaping device is from the Juul brand, which looks almost like a USB device. It?s so popular, Schmidt says, that ?Juul-ing? is a new slang term for those who use the product.
?It?s the most common? among teenagers, Schmidt said. ?It?s really easy to get and it?s easy to hide. You can get it in a lot of flavors. They like the way it tastes and feels and people think it?s cool.?
Some students also use marijuana-filled devices. The common term for those devices are ?dab pens.? Dab pens and other types of marijuana vaping devices are illegal in Kansas, but are sold in adjoining state where marijuana is legal.
?Dab pens are increasing in popularity,? Schmidt reported. ?They?re more convenient to use than smoking marijuana, and you can hit dab pens in public and be undetected.?
Riley Schmidt
Most of the vaping deaths and illnesses have been attributed to THC devices, but some patients said they vaped only nicotine, the CDC reported. Health officials are advising people not to use any vaping produce until the cause of the illness is better understood.
