Teen vaping at 15% in North Dakota high schools

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Today’s vape is nothing like yesterday’s cigarettes. Nicotine devices now have video games and texting abilities.

Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health officials are worried about vapes, and the amount of nicotine young people are taking in.

Gas stations and vape stores advertise exotic flavors that are supposed to last for upwards of 100,000 puffs. This is equivalent to more than 400 packs of cigarettes in a single disposable vaporizer.

In a recent study that surveyed North Dakota High school students, an estimated 15% of them vape.

“The concern is that advertisements, as well as those storefronts, normalize the products themselves... that’s a concern, especially when you’re going to school in the morning, or coming from school on the bus, or walking past it,” Alex Menke from Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health said.

They state that teens prefer fruitier flavors, and the taste makes it harder to treat nicotine addiction. The strength of nicotine and duration of vapes poses a problem, too.

“When nicotine is exposed to a developing brain, it can make that dependence set in faster and make it harder to quit down the line,” Tobacco Coalition Director Andrew Horn stated.

The age of teens who are vaping is getting younger, according to a school resource officer in Mandan. She said that within the last few years, she’s seen more sixth graders get in trouble over vaping at school.

“I’ve heard from some students that they get them through Snapchat ...and then I’ve also heard there’s adults out there that are selling kids these vapes too,” Megan Rohde said, a School Resource Officer.

Experts say it may be difficult to notice that your child is vaping, so here are some warning signs:

Their rooms may have a new fruity or candy-like smell, they may be moodier than normal and they may be joining new friend groups.

Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health will be hosting their first ever vape drop-off event this November.

Resources for teen tobacco treatment can be found at their website here.