• What Does Vaping Equal
• Parents
• Schools
• Students

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is launching its “Vaping Equals” campaign in an effort to end the use of vaping and e-cigarette devices among young people. The campaign will educate and engage middle and high school students in their health classes, throughout their schools, and via online resources. The campaign name, Vaping Equals, is an intentionally incomplete sentence. What does vaping equal? We want students to ask themselves this question and find straightforward answers in their learning environments through skills-based health lessons, a poster series, and vapingequals.com. 

What Does Vaping Equal

Vaping equals:

• Twenty cigarettes’ worth of nicotine, the addictive chemical found in conventional cigarettes, in one Juul cartridge.
• No federal regulation of the amount of nicotine in electronic cigarettes.
• Irreversible brain and lung damage.
• Devices that may explode while in use, potentially causing injury to the face or hand.
• Users who are four times more likely to use conventional cigarettes.

Vaping and e-cigarette use add up to more serious consequences than students or families may know. With millions of middle- and high school-age students using e-cigarettes, we must collectively take action to end vaping by making these realities known and being vigilant. As students throughout the United States and throughout our community are inhaling the vapors from e-cigarettes, they also inhale addictive nicotine at a time when their adolescent brains are more developmentally sensitive to addiction. Vaping devices and e-cigarettes may also contain THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and potentially unsafe levels of chemicals like lead, manganese, chromium, and/or nickel.

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), a smoke-free public school district, is calling on families, educators, and students to work together to end vaping. Find out how you can be involved by clicking each tab.

Click here for works cited.

Parents

The best tool for parents and families to help prevent students from smoking is awareness of the terms that students are using, the appearance of the devices and an understanding of the addictive properties of nicotine.

• Most common terms:
  • Juuling —Using a Juul-brand e-cigarette (Juul is the most popular brand of e-cigarette and resembles a USB flash drive.)
  • Vaping—Smoking an e-cigarette
  • Pod or Flavor Pack—The portion of an e-cigarette that holds e-liquid (including nicotine), which is inhaled after the device turns it into vapor.
• Device Appearance—Vaping devices or e-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes. They can look like flash drives (like the popular Juul brand), pens, lighters, a small computer mouse, or an mp3 player.
  • The e-liquids that are used to refill e-cigarettes, and routinely contain nicotine, can look like small USB devices or containers of eye drops. Many feature the flavor on the label.
  • E-cigarettes are battery powered and must be re-charged. Take note of any devices you see plugged into your student’s computer, wall outlet, or car charger.
• Addictive Properties—E-cigarettes often contain nicotine, the same addictive substance found in conventional tobacco cigarettes. If your student is using e-cigarettes, consider that it may be necessary to employ similar tools to help them quit as it would to help any smoker quit. Be aware also that e-cigarette cartridges or pods can contain THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
• Most young people who are smoking or vaping using e-cigarettes are purchasing the device and its accessories online or acquiring them from peers. Be aware of your student’s online purchases, social media use, and text exchanges.

Schools

Smoking of any kind is prohibited at all JCPS schools. School administrators and teachers are empowered to confiscate any smoking devices, including conventional and e-cigarettes, that are seen in use or exposed on school property.

• Three skills-based health lessons will be conducted in all JCPS secondary school Health Sciences classes. This includes an introductory lesson about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and vape pens, a second lesson that explores how companies in the e-cigarette industry target young people, and a final lesson that equips students with refusal strategies. Take a look at the lessons here:
  • Lesson One
  • Lesson Two
  • Lesson Three

Consider hosting information sessions for students and parents at your school.

• #ICANENDTHETREND: E-Cig Prevention + Advocacy Program is a peer-led program for youth and young adults that focuses on health-related consequences, industry manipulation, social influences, and refusal skills. Complete an interest indicator for this University of Kentucky program.
• Destructive Decisions is a presentation designed by Kentucky State Trooper Robert Purdy for a high school assembly that addresses some of the complex issues surrounding addiction (E-cigarettes, drug abuse, etc.). The program can be adapted for middle schools and is approximately 45 minutes in length. Trooper Purdy can also craft a similar presentation for parents and families. Contact the Communications Department for Trooper Purdy’s contact information.

Students

In addition to refusing any offers to smoke, students are urged to be an agent of change and share the dangerous realities of smoking, including vaping or e-cigarette use, with their peers. Students can do this by:

• Sharing photos of the informative Vaping Equals campaign posters on their social media channels.
• Asking peers in social settings about their reasons for smoking and seeking to point them to other resources to meet that need or desire, such as ideas for stress management or encouraging them to meet with a school counselor.
• Reporting locations where students are regularly vaping to a school administrator or teacher.

If you are a student or friend of a student who needs help quitting smoking, call (800) QUIT-NOW. These age-appropriate services are available at no cost to participants age 15 or older.