Patrick Withrow, MD, Cardiology expresses his concerns, "I am saying 'epidemic'. I think vaping is an epidemic among middle schoolers and high schoolers. Over the last two years, the middle school has increased by 50%, how many kids that are vaping, and the high school by 75%, how many are vaping."
Jonathan Smith, assistant principal, curriculum, Paducah Tilghman High School, says, "We have to do our part to make sure that we keep our students safe. When we know this is an issue, where they’re starting to put drugs into their body in a way that I don’t think they truthfully understand, I think we’ve got to do our part to eliminate the problem.'
Dr. Withrow continued, "They have an adolescent brain, and the younger an individual is when they start using an addictive substance, the more likely they are to become addicted themselves. The younger the kid is, the more likely they are to become addicted to multiple drugs. We have a problem here with methamphetamine and opioids right now, so the adolescent, the young person, starts off becoming addicted to nicotine. Next thing you know, they’re addicted to something else, with all of the problems that go with that."
Smith added, "It’s not normal to see a 14 or 15-year-old kid puffing on something that’s putting nicotine and harmful chemicals in their body. I feel like that is a major public issue that we as adults have to address — because they’re our future."
The video of these comments and concerns is linked below, along with more Baptist Health updates:
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Baptist Health Video: Vaping Epidemic
