Vaping devices become more popular, especially with youth in Colorado

    Smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the world. Today, in addition to the traditional tobacco products, new products called vaping devices are becoming more common.
    Vaping devices have many names associated with them such as e-cigs, vape pens, vapes, pods, e-hookahs and mods. The most popular of all is JUUL. JUUL looks very much like a flash drive, making it discreet when being used in public. All nicotine vaping devices come in a large variety of flavors and are specifically marketed to youth and young adults.
    Colorado’s high school and middle school students are using e-cigarettes or vaping nicotine products at twice the national average. In 2017, 26.2 percent of Colorado high school students used e-cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days, while nationally the rate was 13.2 percent. Youth in the state of Colorado reported the highest e-cigarette usage rate of the 37 states surveyed in 2017.
    Traditional tobacco products are regulated by the FDA. However, vaping devices are not. Many health concerns are associated with the use of these products and the potential health risks are still not fully understood.
    Research has found that all vaping devices contain nicotine and some of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in cigarettes. Nicotine is just as addictive as cocaine and heroin and can result in a lifelong addiction for youth who initiate the use of these products.
    Nicotine restricts the oxygenated blood flow throughout the body, causing increased risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and infertility and prevents the body from healing. Patients who smoke or use nicotine increase their chances of developing complications during or after surgery.

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