We need help to keep our schools vape-free

In the Las Cruces Public Schools and across the nation, a concerning trend has taken hold: the widespread use of e-cigarettes among tweens and teens. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 2.5 million kids used e-cigarettes in 2022, with 14.1 percent of high school students and 3.3 percent of middle school students falling prey to this epidemic.

Kids in our community are at risk.

When they vape, our children are exposing themselves to harmful chemicals like nicotine and formaldehyde, jeopardizing the development of their hearts, lungs, and brains and increasing the likelihood of addiction, not just to nicotine but to other substances as well. It's a complex issue that demands a comprehensive solution.

At the heart of this crisis lies disposable, flavored e-cigarettes.

While the Food and Drug Administration took a commendable step in 2020 by banning pod-based e-cigarettes, they neglected to impose restrictions on disposable counterparts, creating a dangerous loophole. Consequently, more than 5,800 unique disposable products have flooded the market, specifically targeting our children. It is a staggering 1,500 percent increase from early 2020. These products are designed to entice with sweet, candy-like flavors, flashy packaging and aggressive marketing on platforms like TikTok, often endorsed by popular influencers and celebrities. It's no surprise that 85 percent of youth e-cigarette users prefer flavored products, with fruit, candy and dessert-themed options topping the list.

The harsh reality is that the majority of these products are being sold illegally, blatantly violating FDA regulations. The Food and Drug Administration must approve each e-cigarette product before they can be sold. To date, the agency has authorized only 23 specific e-cigarette products, all of which are tobacco-flavored alternatives to cigarettes, targeted at adults. These flashy, kid-friendly flavored products that are helping drive youth vaping rates should not be available for sale at all.

We need a call to action. The FDA must do its job, enforce existing regulations and crackdown on the sale of illegal, flavored vapes that directly endanger American children. As a mom and as president of the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education, I know we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to this issue and allow the health and wellbeing of our youth to be compromised.

 It’s time for the federal government to stand with local communities to take action and to call for the FDA to stop the sale of flavored disposable vapes now.

Teresa Tenorio is president of the Las Cruces Public Schools board of education.