LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Over the years, vaping has grown in popularity, especially among our youth. A recent Forbes study found that Kentucky comes second only to Tennessee for e-cigarette use.
“We have some of the weaker tobacco control laws. We have some of the lower tobacco product pricing. We have a lot of availability of these products,” said Melinda Ickes, a Professor of Kinesiology and Health Promotion at the University of Kentucky.
Ickes said these are all factors that contribute to use among adults and youth in the state.
“Unfortunately, Kentucky has led the way in tobacco use and lung cancer for many years, and with e-cigarette use, we know that 20% of Kentucky high school students are currently reporting e-cigarette use.”
According to a study done by Forbes, Kentucky ranked number two in the country for an increase in vaping over the past six years. Kentucky also tied for first with Oklahoma as the state with the highest amount of adults who vape every day.
“We’re seeing a lot of health risks and complications with some of the chemicals found in e-cigarettes and vapes. Those could be things like making it difficult to breathe. There’s also a lot of nicotine in these products, and so that has its own set of health effects.”
Ickes said when vapes came on the market, the idea was for them to be used by adults as an alternative to cigarettes. She said they were never intended to be used by young people as a tobacco cessation device.
“Many of them are turning to these products as a coping mechanism because they might not have another outlet.”
Ickes said the risk of dependence is very high.
“Some of the research is showing us those who become dependent on e-cigarettes and have never tried another tobacco product are more likely to switch to other combustible tobacco products like cigarettes.”
Luckily, Ickes said there are a lot of state-coordinated efforts going on, like ‘#iCANendthetrend’ and a high school youth advisory board made up of change-makers who want to see something different for their future.
“We need to use the evidence-based practices that are working in other states. Many are putting more funding into prevention and treatment, and the more we build on lessons learned with other states that are seeing success, the better success we’ll have here in Kentucky,” said Ickes.
The Forbes study said that the use of regular cigarette products is still greater than the use of vapes.
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