Dear Editor,

One does not need official statistics to tell us that the use of e-cigarettes or vaping is heavily influencing smoking habits among children. Just go into any town centre and stop by the plazas and invariably you will see schoolchildren puffing on e-cigarettes.

The e-cigarettes or vape are very attractive to children as they contain flavourings that do not appear in regular cigarettes or other smoking products. These vape products are also very easy to conceal and will go undetected by parents and educators if we are not “in the know” by being vigilant, inquisitive, and meticulous.

It appears the manufacturers of these vape products are directly targeting minors. The vape products are attractively designed like pens, highlighters, erasers, and other types of school accessories.

As educators we need to do more to educate our children and other stakeholders about the dangers of these vape products. E-cigarettes contain harmful constituents, such as nicotine, which is highly addictive. Studies on e-cigarettes have also found other harmful chemicals, such as lead, nickel, and acrolein. Vaping is also considered as a gateway drug because most of the users transition to the use of harder drugs.

As a parent myself, and an educator, I am very concerned about this developing trend and the easy access that children have to these vape products. Something needs to be done as a matter of urgency to address this problem.

Many business operators are knowingly selling children these products, which is illegal. Everybody knows where they are being sold and nothing is done about it! The problem is further compounded by the fact that incidences of vaping by schoolchildren are under-reported because the majority of the vaping activities take place outside of regular school hours. However, I don’t think enough is being done to arrest this problem, which, if it goes unabated and unaddressed, will certainly become a health and lifestyle crisis in Jamaica.

I am calling on the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, the national associations of principals of primary and secondary schools, the guidance counsellors’ associations, the association of deans of discipline, the National Parent Teachers Association of Jamaica, the police as well as the Ministry of Education and Youth to give urgent attention to this problem. We need to attack and prevent this cancer from spreading and rendering the youth population terminally ill.

Let us rescue our children and save our society from the harmful effects and potential negative impact of vaping. The word is always love for our children.

Andre’ A O Wellington

Dean of discipline

Alston High School

andrewellington344@yahoo.com