With a new school year fast-approaching, families and educators are preparing for another first day of class but something outside of education continues to be on their mind – youth vaping. Kids and teens using tobacco products was once thought to be a thing of the past, but the rise of e-cigarettes or vapes has introduced a new generation of young tobacco users dependent on nicotine.

Youth vaping – whether a young person uses these products themselves or not – impacts all areas of a young person’s life, including their education.  

In Kentucky, prevalence is highest among 12th graders with more than 1 in 4 reporting vaping in the last year, but the problem has also started to gain prevalence in elementary and middle schools across the Commonwealth. Addressing the behavior has become increasingly more difficult, with schools facing the tough decision on how to handle cases of students using vapes in classrooms.

We know that punishment for kids using vapes is not effective, but educators continue to battle the products being readily available to youth.  

There is not a single source for vaping products containing addictive nicotine falling into the hands of kids, but many are buying them straight from retailers. Nearly 25% of students who reported vaping said they bought the product themselves in a retail store, despite the legal purchase age in Kentucky being 21. Not only are youth often able to purchase these products underage, but they are also enticed with colorful packaging and appealing flavors in marketing ads and easy access on store shelves.  

Despite these trends among youth across Kentucky, there are solutions to help reduce youth initiation and vape use including: 

  • Responding to youth vaping with support rather than punishment, including resources to help quit and mental health supports for young people facing addiction.  
  • Requiring retail stores who wish to sell tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vapes, to apply for, receive, and maintain a license to ensure age limits are enforced.  
  • Ensuring state budget investments in tobacco prevention and cessation programming to support young people who are trying to quit and prevent initiation among youth.  

By enacting state policies that protect students and support safe, healthy learning environments, Kentucky kids can grow up tobacco- and nicotine-free.  

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