TSET Hosts Panel To Tackle Teen Vaping In Oklahoma

PLUS FIVE DAY FORECAST. ALL RIGHT JONATHAN THANK YOU. ADDRESSING TEEN VAPING LAST MONTH, T SAID HOSTED A VIRTUAL PANEL WITH OTHER EXPERTS TO DISCUSS THE DANGERS AND EXPLORE STRATEGIES. LIVE IN THE STUDIO. NOW TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS PANEL IS THOMAS LARSON WITH TSA THOMAS. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. HEY, GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU. HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE. LET’S TALK ABOUT TEEN VAPING IN OKLAHOMA. FIRST GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE HERE IN THE STATE, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WELL, YOU KNOW, IN OKLAHOMA, THE TEEN VAPING RATE IS HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE RIGHT NOW, MORE THAN 21% OF OKLAHOMA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS REPORT VAPING REGULARLY. THAT’S ACTUALLY DOWN A LITTLE BIT. PREVIOUS YEARS HAD OKLAHOMA’S RATE AS HIGH AS 28%, BUT WHEN MORE THAN 1 IN 5 TEENS ARE VAPING REGULARLY, THAT’S STILL WAY TOO HIGH. SO WE WANTED TO CONVENE THIS PANEL TO TO TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND AND EXPLORE POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS. YEAH. SO SPEAKING OF VAPING, WHAT MAKES IT SO ATTRACTIVE TO TEENS? WHY ARE SO MANY TEENS DOING IT? SO, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE NEAT THINGS ABOUT THE PANEL IS WE ACTUALLY HAD TWO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON THE PANEL. THEY PARTICIPATE IN T SETS YOUTH ACTION FOR HEALTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM. AND THEY TALKED ABOUT THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS IS PEOPLE DO IT BECAUSE THEIR FRIENDS ARE DOING IT. AND THAT’S REALLY NOT A SURPRISE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT VAPING MANUFACTURERS, THEY’RE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THEY’RE MARKETING TO TEENS, AND THEY’RE MAKING IT LOOK FUN AND SOCIAL. AND SO KIDS WANT TO FIT IN. SO, SO THEY ARE VAPING. ANOTHER THING THAT THAT THE TEENS BROUGHT UP IS THAT SOME KIDS ARE DOING IT BECAUSE THEY THINK IT RELIEVES STRESS OR ANXIETY. AND WE HAD SOME RESEARCHERS ON THE PANEL AND THEY POINTED OUT, YOU KNOW, IF ANYTHING, NICOTINE DOES THE OPPOSITE. IT MAY MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER IN THE MOMENT, BUT REALLY, THAT NICOTINE AND THAT ADDICTION IS GOING TO MAKE YOUR ANXIETY AND YOUR DEPRESSION WORSE. IF YOU’RE VAPING REGULARLY AND IT MAKES YOU FEEL LESS ANXIOUS, YOU’RE NOT IMPROVING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. WHAT YOU’RE DOING IS SATISFYING AN ADDICTION, AND SPEAKING A LITTLE BIT FURTHER ON THAT WITH THIS PANEL, I MEAN, YOU GUYS DISCUSSED CHALLENGES, YOU DISCUSSED HEALTH ISSUES, EXPAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS. WELL, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, SOME OF THE TAKEAWAYS ASIDE FROM WHY YOUTH ARE DOING IT, IT’S ALSO A BIG CHALLENGE IN SCHOOLS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO GIVE SCHOOLS THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO HELP ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. AND REALLY THAT STARTS WITH EDUCATION. EDUCATING KIDS ABOUT THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF VAPING. YOU KNOW, LETTING THEM KNOW IT’S NOT WATER VAPOR. YOU KNOW, THERE THERE ARE CHEMICALS LIKE FORMALDEHYDE. THERE ARE HEAVY METALS LIKE LEAD AND NICKEL IN THAT, IN THAT VAPE AEROSOL. AND IT’S DANGEROUS. AND CAN HAVE LIFETIME HEALTH CONSEQUENCES. WE ALSO TALKED A LOT ABOUT POLICIES. OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL LEVEL, LIKE AT THE STATE LEVEL, THAT CAN REDUCE YOUTH ACCESS TO VAPING. ONE OF THOSE WOULD BE, SAY, PUTTING A TAX ON VAPING PRODUCTS THAT’S COMPARABLE TO THE TAX YOU SEE ON OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS, BECAUSE WE KNOW MAKING THAT MORE EXPENSIVE, THAT REDUCES CONSUMPTION, ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUTH. ALSO, BANNING FLAVORS WOULD BE A GREAT WAY TO REDUCE YOUTH. YOUTH, UH, INITIATION OF VAPING BECAUSE KIDS ARE ATTRACTED TO THE SWEET FLAVORS, CANDY AND FRUIT AND ALL OF THAT, AS WELL AS MORE RESTRICTIVE MARKETING. SO THAT VAPING COMPANIES ARE NOT INTENTIONALLY TARGETING OUR YOUTH. YEAH, AND WE ACTUALLY DID A STORY ABOUT TEEN VAPING, NOT THAT LONG AGO. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, BUT YOU KNOW, WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT SCHOOLS PUTTING IN VAPING SENSORS IN THEIR BATHROOMS AND STUFF. SO A LOT OF STEPS HAPPENING. BUT AFTER THIS PANEL HERE, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS. WELL, YOU KNOW, WE WANT THE PANEL TO TO INFORM THE DISCUSSION AROUND TEEN VAPING. AND THAT’S HAPPENING BOTH IN THE STATE CAPITOL AND IN SCHOOLS AND FRANKLY, AT KITCHEN TABLES AROUND THE STATE. YOU KNOW, WE WANT PARENTS TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO THEIR STUDENTS ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, ON TEA SETS, SHAPE YOUR FUTURE WEBSITE, SHAPE YOUR FUTURE OKARCHE. COM PARENTS CAN FIND RESOURCE GUIDES, CONVERSATION GUIDES FOR TALKING TO KIDS OF DIFFERENT AGES ABOUT VAPING AND TOBACCO USE. AND WE ALSO WANT TO INFORM POLICY IN THE STATE CAPITOL. SO THAT WHOLE DISCUSSION IS STILL AVAILABLE TO WATCH ON TV SETS, FACEBOOK PAGE AND OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL. AND ANYONE WHO’S INTERESTED IN THIS TOPIC, I ENCOURAGE THEM TO GO WATCH IT, BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF GREAT INFORMATION THERE. THAT WAS GOING TO BE MY NEXT QUESTION. RESOURCES. BUT YOU GOT TO YOU GOT STRAIGHT TO IT. WHAT IS OKLAHOMA DOING RIGHT NOW? WHAT IS IN PLACE RIGHT NOW THAT IS HELPING TO MAYBE PREVENT OR CURB THE USE OF VAPING? WELL, SURE. SO I MENTIONED THE PARENTAL RESOURCES ON SHAPE YOUR FUTURE T STATE ALSO FUNDS A CESSATION RESOURCE FOR TEENS WHO ARE ALREADY ADDICTED TO VAPING OR TOBACCO. THAT’S CALLED MY LIFE, MY QUIT. SO IF YOU HAVE A TEEN WHO WHO IS WANTS TO QUIT VAPING, THEY CAN GO TO MY LIFE, MY SITCOM THAT IS A TEXT BASED SERVICE THAT OFFERS THEM THEM SUPPORT IN THEIR JOURNEY TO TO QUIT VAPING. THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF RESOURCES AND INFORMATION ABOUT VAPING ON T SETS. TOBACCO STOPS WITH ME WEB PAGE AND THAT THAT STOPS WITH MACOMB. OKAY, SO A LOT OF INFORMATION, A LOT OF RESOURCES OUT THERE AND. UH, THOMAS, WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN WITH US AND TELLING US ABOUT THIS PANEL AND THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING TO ADDRESS TEEN VAPING, WHICH WE KNOW IS AN ISSUE, NOT JUST IN OKLAHOMA BUT NATIONWIDE. RIGHT? THAT’S RIGHT. YEAH.