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Radio With Good Reason” in December, to air in January Updated 10/7/2019 For the first time since 2000, overall youth tobacco use has increased in Minnesota. The rapid uptake of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices has suddenly reversed a trend of declining teen tobacco use in Minnesota, and recent data show one in five high school students use e-cigarettes, a nearly 50 percent increase since 2014. This toolkit provides tools and resources for Minnesota school staff, including administrators, educators, teachers and health services staff, who are working to address the use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products in schools. This toolkit outlines opportunities for action that can be taken by various school staff, along with resources and tools to help. E-cigarettes and other Vaping Products E-cigarettes, vapes, vape or hookah pens, e-pipes, and other vaping products are battery-powered devices that allow users to inhale, or vape, aerosolized liquid (e-juice). E-cigarettes recently surpassed conventional cigarettes as the most commonly used tobacco product among youth, [1] so it is critical that public health officials and the general public understand the potential risks of using them. Nearly all e-cigarettes contain nicotine.[2] Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm the developing adolescent brain.[1, 3, 4] Because the brain is still developing until about age 25, youth and young adult exposure to nicotine can lead to addiction and disrupt attention and learning.[1] No amount of nicotine is safe for youth. Learn more about e-cigarettes and nicotine ▪ Health Advisory: Nicotine and the Escalating Risk of Addiction for Youth (PDF) ▪ Health Risks of Nicotine for Youth ▪ E-cigarettes and other Vaping Products ▪ Factsheet: Youth Tobacco Use Rises for First Time in 17 Years (PDF) ▪ E-cigs 2.0: The Next Generation (PDF) (Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota) ▪ E-cigarettes, “Vapes”, and JUULs: What Schools Should Know (PDF) (American Lung Association) ▪ The Impact of E-cigarettes on the Lung (PDF) (American Lung Association) ADDRESSIN G STUDENT USE OF E - C IGARETTES AND OTHER VAPING PRODUCTS 2 School Administrators Tobacco-free spaces are a proven way to prevent youth tobacco use and protect students, faculty, and visitors from secondhand smoke. Tobacco-free schools is one way to address increasing popularity of ecigarettes and other vaping devices among youth. Here’s what you can do: Strengthen and review current policy. ▪ NEW Commercial Tobacco-Free K-12 School Model Policy (PDF) (Public Health Law Center) ▪ NEW Commercial Tobacco-Free K-12 School Model Policy: Questions and Answers (PDF) (Public Health Law Center) ▪ NEW Addressing Student Commercial Tobacco Use in Schools: Alternative Measures (Public Health Law Center) ▪ NEW INDEPTH: An Alternative to Teen Nicotine Suspension or Citation (American Lung Association) ▪ Tobacco-Free Schools: A Guide for Adopting and Implementing a Policy (PDF) (Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota) ▪ Create Tobacco-Free Schools (American Lung Association) ▪ Disposal of Vaping Liquids, E-cigarettes, and Nicotine Wastes (PDF) (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) Issue an advisory to parents. Resources for parents: ▪ NEW E-cigarettes and Youth: What Parents Need to Know (PDF) (CDC) ▪ Teachers and Parents: That USB Stick Might Be an E-cigarette poster (CDC) ▪ Should I Talk to My Kids About Vaping? (Twin Cities Medical Society) ▪ Know The Risks E-Cigarettes and Young People (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) ▪ Juuling: What Pediatricians and Families Need to Know (American Academy of Pediatrics) ▪ Vaping: What You Need to Know And How to Talk With Your Kids (PDF) (Partnership for Drug-Free Kids) ▪ E-cigarettes, “Vapes”, and JUULs: What Parents Should Know (PDF) (American Lung Association) Promote health messaging throughout school. ▪ Free Signs (Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota) ▪ Free print and digital materials, such as posters (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) ▪ If you don’t think vaping is addictive, it may have already altered your brain. ▪ A nicotine-free vape is not a worry-free vape. Download these posters and more at CTP’s Exchange Lab. ▪ Free school posters targeting youth with messaging on the