Partners in Prevention - Flavored tobacco products are a health risk to kids and young adults

It is well known that flavors, such as fruit or candy, play a significant role in enticing kids and young adults to try and use tobacco products.

Studies from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration show that flavors play a major role in youth initiation and use of tobacco products. Although there has been significant progress in reducing youth cigarette smoking in recent years, there has been little progress in reducing overall tobacco use in a decade due to the popularity of flavored products like e-cigarettes and cigars. Consider these numbers:

• 81 percent of youth who have ever used tobacco products initiated with a flavored product.

• 72.3 percent of youth tobacco users have used a flavored tobacco product in the past month.

• At least two-thirds of youth tobacco users report using tobacco products “because they come in flavors I like.”

• About half of all high school smokers use menthol cigarettes.

In spite of the appealing flavors, vaping and other flavored tobacco products are not without significant risk of harm. These products contain nicotine. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, nicotine disrupts normal neurotransmitter functioning in the brain and negatively affects emotional and cognitive processing among youth. Over time, this changes how the brain works, resulting in nicotine’s addictive nature. The effects of nicotine are particularly harmful to youth, as nicotine exposure may adversely impact their developing brains, causing long-term effects on cognitive ability, mental health, and personality traits. Further, adolescents are vulnerable to addiction to nicotine due to being particularly susceptible to peer influences and social pressures.

In addition, CDC reports that the use of nicotine exposes youth to a variety of risks:

• Brain Risks. The part of the brain that’s responsible for decision making and impulse control is not yet fully developed during adolescence. Young people are more likely to take risks with their health and safety, including use of nicotine and other drugs. Youth and young adults are at risk for long-term, long-lasting effects of exposing their developing brains to nicotine. These risks include nicotine addiction, mood disorders, and permanent lowering of impulse control. Nicotine also changes the way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning.

• Addiction Risks. How does the nicotine in e-cigarettes affect the brain? Until about age 25, the brain is still growing. Each time a new memory is created or a new skill is learned, stronger connections — or synapses — are built between brain cells. Young people’s brains build synapses faster than adult brains. Because addiction is a form of learning, adolescents can get addicted more easily than adults. The nicotine in e-cigarettes and other tobacco products can also prime the adolescent brain for addiction to other drugs such as cocaine.

• Behavior Risks. E-cigarette use among youth and young adults is strongly linked to the use of other tobacco products, such as regular cigarettes, cigars, hookah, and smokeless tobacco.

Taking steps to reduce youth vaping

It can be difficult, but there are steps you can take to stem the tide of this attractively disguised threat to the health of youth and others. The Office of the U.S Surgeon General and the CDC offers these tips:

• Make your home vape-free and tobacco-free. Prohibit the use of all tobacco products in your home and vehicles, including e-cigarettes, by family members, friends and guests.

• Be a role model. Young people learn a lot from watching behaviors of other people. Living tobacco-free sets a powerful example to your kids, and to all youth. Even if you are quitting, share the reasons why you want to change and ask for support in your efforts.

You may access more information by visiting the E-cigarettes & Youth link on the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program website at https://dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/mtupp , or by calling the HELP Committee at 406-265-6206.

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Havre Public Schools and the HELP Committee and Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line are committed to promoting safe and healthy lifestyles to become long-lived, responsible citizens. For more information on this or related topics, contact the HELP Committee at 406-265-6206.