‘Just say no’ to vaping.
According to truthinitiative.org, in 2017 about 12% percent of all high school students vaped. The percentage was about 3% for all middle school students.
What is vaping? Its original intention was to help cigarette smokers and mouth tobacco uses quit their habit through a tobacco-free alternative. While vaping has helped celebrities, like EDM icons, The Chainsmokers, quit tobacco, the practice is dangerous. At least eight deaths have been confirmed recently from a still-unidentified vaping-related lung illness.
Cade Beauparlant (photo, NBC News)
How does vaping affect sports? Cade Beauparlant of Newburyport, Massachusetts, is an example. Beauparlant had dreams of a hockey career. But, after getting hooked on vaping, Beauparland had trouble playing the game. I couldn’t stay on the ice for more than a minute and a half before being gassed,” Beauparlant said. “My lungs couldn’t handle it. I felt like I couldn’t pull enough air into my lungs.”
Vaping and sports don’t mix! Restrictive lung disease inhibits breathing and lung capacity, which are vital to just about all sports.
The vaping situation inspired me to e-mail government officials asking them to get vaping off the menu for America’s youth. I urge everyone to do the same.
We need to stop this dangerous trend before it does more damage, including taking more lives.
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I dedicate this article to my big sister, Kaila McElwain.
