Vape among students is a problem in Harvey County. Thus many stakeholders thinking of ways to put an end to the problem of teen vaping. One such organization is the Harvey County Drug-Free Youth Coalition which has been coming up with innovative ways to help students already using vaping products give up these habits.
This week in coalition with the Newton High School the Harvey County Drug-Free Youth Coalition will host a “Vape Take Back Day” at the Newton High school ground. During the event, students are encouraged to hand over their vaping devices and other non-tobacco electronic devices to the Harvey County Drug-Free Youth Coalition representatives who will present to help students who need help to quit the habit.
According to the Harvey County Drug-Free Youth Coalition’s coordinator Melissa Schreiber, teen vaping is a growing problem across the country. Not every teenager uses electronic cigarettes, however, vaping products tend to have higher amounts of nicotine. This makes these products quite addictive. Teens who vape regularly quickly become addicted to vaping. Such teens thus need help to give up the habit.
The “Vape Take Back Day” will provide Newton High School students and teens in the neighbourhood an opportunity to get rid of all their vaping devices and also get resources to help them give up the habit.
During the “Vape Take Back Day,” the school administration will not be present. This is an effort to make sure that no disciplinary action will be taken against any student who turns in their vaping products. While e-cigarettes are not allowed on school grounds, it is important to allow students a chance to hand over the devices they may be using at home or in some other private places.
Vaping in Harvey County is quite a norm. According to Schreiber, if you drive around, you can easily spot people vaping either in their cars or on the streets. Stopping teen vaping is trying to solve a social problem and this will require more effort.
The Harvey County Drug-Free Youth coalition has a mission to prevent underage Harvey County residents from substance abuse. This includes stopping teen vaping, smoking and drinking. The coalition works closely with middle and high schools to reach out to teens that may have access to these substances to help them know that partaking in drugs at their age is not a social norm. The coalition also provides these students with the right resources to help them quit.
This “Vape Take Back Day” is being hosted at a time when the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC) has said that e-cigarettes are not safe for both kids and teens. This is because e-cigarettes have been found to negatively impact the brain development process as they contain nicotine.
According to Hudson Ferralez, a student representative, the vaping culture around the school is pretty bad. He believes that students should understand the dangers of vaping and give up their products so that they can get the help they need to form good habits.
According to Schreiber, this is the second time the “Vape Take Back Day” is being hosted by Newton High School. She says that their chapter is open to working with other schools that are open to the idea of having “Vape Take Back Day” events. There are also other Drug-Free Youth coalitions in other Kansas counties such as Reno and Sedgwick that are working on the same goals.
