Katie Lazar, Gilpin County. Teen vaping has reached epidemic proportions across Colorado. According to the 2017 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, 27 percent of Colorado youth currently vape, which is the highest in the country and over twice the national average reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vape companies aggressively market their products to youth, particularly with appealing, candy-like vape juice flavors. Commonly misperceived as “harmless water vapor,” one pod of this vape juice contains toxins, heavy metals, certain chemicals known to cause cancer, and as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. This makes vaping extremely addictive — particularly for the developing teenage brain.

“Youth vaping has been identified as a priority to focus on in the next 5 years in the Gilpin County Public Health Improvement Plan. We are currently planning an educational campaign to be presented at the school for parents and staff to inform our community about the dangers of vaping,” stated Bonnie Albrecht, Public Health Coordinator for Gilpin County.

There are steps parents and adults can take right now to help address this epidemic. Research shows that young people benefit from conversations with their parents and trusted adults. Listening, having fact-based conversations with teens and establishing a smoke/vapor-free rule at home can help prevent initiation and dispel the myth that vaping is harmless. For tips on starting the conversation with teens and fact sheets about vaping, visit www.tobaccofreeco.org/know-the-facts. For more information around efforts to address youth tobacco use in Gilpin County, contact Bonnie Albrecht at balbrech@jeffco.us.

(Originally published in the April 11, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)