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04/10/2023 04:11 PMThe use of electronic vapor products that deliver nicotine into the lungs of developing teenagers has seen a noticeable increase in the past 12 years, according to the state’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). Determined to see this trend move in the opposite direction, the department has supported the activity of Local Prevention Councils (LPCs), such as North Haven’s, to make that desired trend a reality.
According to prevention specialist Nicole Mason, the North Haven LPC is a new part of a grassroots coalition out of 150 community-based prevention groups looking to educate residents, especially teenagers, on electronic vapor products’ physical and mental health risks.
“Our hopes is [sic], at this point as a new coalition, is just to start increasing awareness of vaping use amongst youth and also to get some information,” Mason said.
Some of the questions Mason and her colleagues are asking along this mission are “What’s going on in the community,” “Do North Haven youth vape often,” and “Where are they getting it from.”
She elaborated, “A new coalition’s purpose really is to collect data on a community, understand what’s going on as a whole, and then figure out where North Haven is in terms of readiness to address the problem.”
Mason, a member of the Alliance for Prevention and Wellness health group, is currently leading efforts to expand the North Haven LPC. But greater community participation and leadership roles are needed to raise awareness of the national vaping epidemic, especially in the face of rising numbers.
Figures from the Center for Prevention Evaluation and Statistics show a sharp increase in the use of electronic vapor products over the previous decade. From 2011 to 2019, the use of such products during a 30-day period rose from 2.4% to 27% among Connecticut high school students.
Although the use of cigarettes has declined concurrently, that doesn’t make electronic vaping products a physically or mentally healthier alternative, according to Mason. Educating people on that fact is a major part of the communications aspect of the LPCs mission.
“We often hear the message that vaping isn’t as harmful as cigarettes. It’s water vapor, it’s safe, all that. So [we’re] trying to help the community understand that’s not necessarily true; it is unsafe,” she said.
Mason said a common misconception surrounding nicotine or cannabis-based vapor products is that they can alleviate mental health issues, which she said couldn’t be further from the truth.
Like any other stimulant that can trigger a deluge of dopamine in the brain, be it sugar-filled food or social media, vapor products can cause the brain to go into “a crisis…a little bit of a panic” if a certain level of satisfaction from that stimulant is not achieved, said Mason. Reaching a level of dependency on any kind of addictive substance is particularly dangerous for young people, whose brains are not finished developing until age 25.
“We know a lot of young people start vaping to cope, say [with] stress. [They say] it helps me feel better. But with long-term use, especially when we’re thinking about vaping cannabis, it actually reduces a person’s ability to cope with stress into their adulthood.”
Mason cited studies that underage use of cannabis-based vaping products can shrink the amygdala’s size, the part of the brain primarily responsible for memory, decision-making, and emotional responses like fear, anxiety, and aggression.
On the state level, the above-mentioned figures and the age-related health fallout have culminated in Hartford passing Public Act No. 19-13, which prohibits the sale of nicotine or cannabis-based vapor products to anyone under the age of 21. In the act, this places vapor products alongside cigarettes and other tobacco-based products.
Before a number of the health risks of electronic vaping came to light in the late 2010s, what appeared to differentiate “electronic nicotine delivery services” from commonly-known cigarettes rests strongly in the marketing of the former products. While the detrimental health risks of cigarette use are widely understood, clever marketing directed explicitly toward teenagers has strongly contributed to the prevalent use of vapor products amongst teenagers.
“This myth that it’s just water vapor was really designed by…vaping companies to get people to switch from cigarettes to vaping, and also to market to youth because it’s ‘healthy,’” said Mason.
Given the numbers and mental health effects, LPCs like North Haven’s ultimate goal is to reduce vaping use amongst adolescents aged 12 - 18 by 5% by 2025. This goal is supported by a grant from the DMHAS through the Regional Behavioral Health Action Organizations.
The primary goal right now is gathering local support from the community to help with increasing awareness and holding education in multiple locations around town. While conversations with youth have been based at the Moonrise Cafe, Mason said the LPC is also looking to host talks at North Haven High School and to talk with local businesses that sell vapor products to understand the risks of vaping.
“To create community change, you need community involvement as a whole. This can’t just fall on the schools or just one institution. This is really going to take a community-wide effort to change our perspective on vaping use. To ensure that youth aren’t using substances under age, and they are [learning] from an informed place.”