By Jonah Hinebaugh, Staff Writer Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Sarasota county has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of students using vaporizers and e-cigarettes. Attorney General Ashley Moody visited Riverview high school to meet with educators in the area to discuss the issue as part of a statewide fact-gathering initiative.
Across the Sarasota County School District, the number of incidents involving ninth-grade students with vaporizers and e-cigarettes rose to 138 during the 2018-19 school year.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said vaping seems to be the most prevalent source of an addictive substance found in schools statewide.
During her visit to Riverview High School Thursday, as part of her statewide fact-gathering mission on the issue, Moody said a proactive approach is required before statistics rise higher.
“What I’m hearing is that we have done a poor job of educating people, kids and parents, before kids take their first hit of a vape,” Moody said.
Prevention, she said, “will make it a lot easier to battle against this addictive substance.
Read more about the meeting with the Attorney General here. 

For Immediate Release: July 15, 2019
Statement From: Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs - Food and Drug Administration Norman E. "Ned" Sharpless MD

Late last week, a U.S. District Court judge in Maryland issued a decision that, among other things, requires makers and importers of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and certain other tobacco products like cigars, pipe tobacco and hookah to submit applications for their currently marketed products to the agency within 10 months.

This court decision comes at a time when I, like many others, are tremendously concerned about the rising use of e-cigarettes among our nation’s youth and especially the potential for them to become traditional cigarette smokers. We cannot allow the next generation of young people to become addicted to nicotine because of e-cigarettes. I am all too aware of the staggering toll inflicted on the public health by tobacco products. As someone who has dedicated my life to reducing the public health burden and suffering caused by cancer, the importance of preventing youth addiction to nicotine rings especially true to me.

The FDA stands ready to accelerate the review of e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products. And we remain committed to tackling the epidemic of youth vaping using all available regulatory tools at our disposal. We will continue to take vigorous enforcement actions aimed at ensuring e-cigarettes and other tobacco products aren’t being marketed to, or sold to, kids. We will continue expanding our highly successful education efforts, such as “The Real Cost” campaign, to educate youth about the dangers of using tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. And we will continue to implement the policies necessary to keep e-cigarettes and all tobacco products out of the hands of America’s kids.

​Read the entire statement from the Food and Drug Administration here. 

KNOW THE RISKS. TAKE ACTION. PROTECT OUR KIDS. 

From the Surgeon Generals Advisory Paper:

"I, Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service, VADM Jerome Adams, am emphasizing the importance of protecting our children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated health risks by immediately addressing the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use. The recent surge in e-cigarette use among youth, which has been fueled by new types of e-cigarettes that have recently entered the market, is a cause for great concern. We must take action now to protect the health of our nation’s young people."

Read the full report here.​