Health

14 HEALTH • Winter 2018 Legal steps on several fronts are changing the way Juul and other companies can sell e-cigarettes. increasingly becoming concerned about the potential repercussions of vaping. Popularity forces changes Vaping may still be relatively new, but high schoolers appear to have quickly taken to it. Close to a quarter of Massachusetts high school stu- dents have vaped, said Marc Hymovitz, the Massachusetts govern- ment relations director for American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. "What we've seen in the last few years is across state is a huge increase in youth use of vaping products," Hymovitz said. "Several towns in Worcester County and elsewhere are limiting that," he continued. The American Cancer Society is working to make sure people are aware of the potential dangers of vaping. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, accounting for one in four. Around 154,000 people will die of the disease in 2018. Nicotine has long been known as a cancer causing agent. every city and town in Massachusetts will be covered. Around 135 municipalities, includ- ing many in Central Massachusetts, have changed their local regulations and ordinances to ban e-cigarette use in smoke-free locations, according to data from the Massachusetts Municipal Association. Worcester, Gardner and Leominster are among that group, which encompasses over 57 percent of the state's population. Parents, health providers and educators are One Juul cartridge alone lasts about 200 puffs, or about the nicotine equivalent of a pack of cigarettes. The vape pen can be charged in a laptop's USB port, and handily slipped into a back pocket. But Juuling might be harder to do soon. Gov. Charlie Baker signed state- wide legislation into law in July, mak- ing Massachusetts the sixth state to increase the age of sale for tobacco products from 18 to 21. Once the state law goes into effect on Dec. 31, A cross Central Massachusetts, teenagers are "Juuling." Juul electronic cigarettes are named after the company that's both a household name and a target of health advocates. The size of a flash drive, these e-cigarettes are all the rage for high schoolers, even though they started out as alternatives for adults who want to minimize smoking traditional cigarettes. E-cigarettes use explodes Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention P H O T O S / V A P I N G 3 6 0 / F L I C K R VAPING POLICIES EVOLVING E-cigarettes have taken off among students, forcing regulators to take action \\ By Sarah Betancourt One in five high schoolers have been found to smoke e-cigarettes. In 2011, it was just 1.5 percent. Use of electronic cigarettes among high schoolers has exploded in recent years. The percent who said in surveys they used an electronic cigarette in the last 30 days: 0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 1.5% 20.8%

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