Vaping and E-Cigarettes

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Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

• Use of electronic cigarettes continues to be a serious problem in Colorado and the nation. Resources are available to help address nicotine vaping, e-cigarette and other tobacco use among Colorado youth. E-cigarette use is not safe, especially for young people. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm brain development. The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams declared youth e-cigarette use an epidemic and encourages parents, teachers and lawmakers to take action. The following are immediate actions that schools can take to help reduce tobacco use:

  • Strengthen and Communicate and Enforce Tobacco Free Schools Policies

  • Provide Reliable and Accurate Education about Vaping

  • Promote Quitting among Students and Staff

  • Lend your voice to community efforts to reduce easy access to tobacco products among youth

• Vaping and Lung Illness

  • Colorado is one of multiple states investigating severe lung illness associated with vaping. In line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado is reporting confirmed and probable cases. A confirmed case is someone who recently used a vaping product, developed a breathing illness, and for whom testing did not show an infection. While this investigation is ongoing and the definitive cause of reported illnesses remains uncertain, people should consider not using vaping products. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is investigating all cases reported to us to determine if they meet the case definition being used nationally. Colorado Vaping-Associated Illness Outbreak Report (Note that, this report is updated weekly, on Wednesdays.)

• CDPHE - Letter to the Public on Vaping

  • The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) in February 2018, supplied a letter for school leaders to send to parents, community members and others about the health risks of vaping. In the letter, CDPHE suggests effective ways to inform students of the risks involved with e-cigarette and tobacco use.

E- Cigarettes - What You Need to Know

• Printable quick reference on how e-cigarettes work, responsible use, and risk factors.

National Jewish

• My Life, My Quit

Partnering for Drug-Free Kids

• What You Need to Know - Partnering for Drug Free Schools and How to Talk with Your Kids About Vaping

  • Although it has been around for over a decade, vaping's popularity exploded in 2017, taking many families, schools and healthcare providers by surprise. Vaping, or Juuling as it is often referred to by teens and young adults (named after a popular vape device called JUUL), is the inhaling and exhaling of an aerosol produced by using a vape device. For every story or article touting the benefits of vaping, there are an equal number raising concerns about the risks of vaping, especially for teens and young adults. This guide is intended to help you understand what vaping is, its appeal to youth and what research has to say about both the risks and unknowns, due to the lack of long-term vaping studies. We've identified some signs to look for and what to do if you are concerned that your child may try or actually is vaping. Lastly, we offer some advice on what to say when talking with your child about vaping. 

  • What You Need to Know - Partnering for Drug Free Schools, and How to Talk with Your Kids About Vaping (PDF - 1.15MB)

Physician Advocacy Network

• Talking to Your Kids About Vaping

  • Guide to determining when, and how to talk to children about the risk factors of vaping and using electronic cigarettes.

Physician Advocacy Network

• The Physician Advocacy Network has developed this vaping and JUULing curriculum for teachers and others to use to educate middle and high school students about the harms of vaping. Website contains lesson plan and supporting curriculum.

Stanford University

• E-Cigarette Risk Fact Sheet

  • This quick reference guide demonstrates the known risk factors of using electronic cigarettes.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

• Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults

  • This guide supports health care providers, systems, and communities seeking to prevent vaping. It describes relevant research findings, examines emerging and best practices, identifies knowledge gaps and implementation challenges, and offers useful resources. Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults (PDF - 24MB).

U. S. Surgeon General

• Know the Risks - U. S. Surgeon General's Warnings on E - Cigarettes

  • The 2016 U.S. Surgeon General's Report on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults is the first report issued by a Federal agency that comprehensively reviews the public health issue of electronic cigarettes and their impact on our nation's young people.

  • Resources include general introductions to what E-Cigarettes are, and why vaping is an issue of concern for parents and educators.

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