%20(300%20%C3%97%20150%20px).png)
Posted at high noon on January 20, 2020
The Brillion News
MADISON – Governor Tony Evers on Monday announced a comprehensive agenda that he hopes will help combat vaping among kids and educate the public about the potential dangers associated with vaping products.
Evers is directing state agencies to strengthen enforcement measures related to preventing the sale of vaping products to kids, bolster partnerships with public health officials and local school districts, educate the public on potential risks and hazards associated with the use of e-cigarettes and vapor products by kids, and prevent manipulative advertising to kids.
The governor is also calling on the legislature to pass a series of bills that would: ban vaping and vapor products on K-12 campuses; expand the definition of public health emergencies; fund a public health campaign to address youth vaping in Wisconsin; and expand enforcement capacity within the Departments of Revenue and Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection to prevent the sale of vaping products to kids.
“Vaping is a serious public health epidemic and it is time to take action," Evers said.
"State agencies will continue to work closely with local public health officials, law enforcement, and the medical community to implement solutions, but we also need our partners in the legislature to join us in order to really move the needle. I hope to see these bills pass quickly and with bipartisan support.”
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, e-cigarette use by Wisconsin high school students jumped 154% between 2014 and 2018 and use by Wisconsin middle school students increased 272 percent between 2014 and 2018. These products pose significant potential health risks, particularly to young users.
The nicotine contained in e-cigarettes can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning, and data indicates that teens who use e-cigarettes are three times as likely to become cigarette smokers.
~ Source: Governor's office.