Niles West Parent Association Committee (NWPAC) put together a Vaping/Dean Discussion Panel for parents and members of the community on Wednesday, Sept. 19. The panel addressed one of today’s biggest problems: underage vaping and the use of e-cigarettes’ effects on the teenage brain.

The discussion explained what an e-cigarette is and what some of the negative effects are. It’s not mainly the actual “vapor” that comes out of the devices that is harmful; it’s the nicotine that is present in the juice that is causing many problems with regards to health and addiction. This was discussed for a majority of the time along with new rules being placed on the sale of the vapes/e-cigarettes and what to do to help prevent underage individuals from keeping these devices.

The FDA told five major e-cigarette manufacturers Sept. 12 to address youth use of their products in the next 60 days or the agency could require them to stop selling flavored tobacco pods that appeal to children.

Sophomore Gio Terlizzi was a student in attendance of the discussion panel and agrees that it is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

“It’s a big epidemic in today’s world with a bunch of teenage smokers,” Terlizzi said. “I think that it is important to hear the negative effects of vaping especially on teens and how it can impact our lives so much.”

One of the other problems with vaping is that it is done in school, which violates the law and could compromise student health.

“With regards to vaping, certainly our teachers have gone through professional development, our deans have been excellent, we have faculty meetings about this and  talk about the new things we’re seeing. We’ve been working really hard with finding a way to work these problems out,” principal Jason Ness, said.

The FDA and many other organizations are working towards solutions to help solve this epidemic.

“The FDA has taken much action to help reduce the use of underage vaping which will come into view in the near future,” said Prevention Program Coordinator and speaker Erin Tegge. “This is a serious problem in today’s youths, and there are many things being done to help prevent a generation of nicotine addicts.”