skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, May 10, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Louisiana teachers worry about state constitution changes. Ohio experts support a $15 minimum wage for 1 million people. An Illinois mother seeks passage of a medical aid-in-dying bill. And Mississippi advocates push for restored voting rights for people with felony convictions.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Biden says the U.S. won't arm Israel for a Rafah attack, drawing harsh criticism from Republicans. A judge denies former President Trump's request to modify a gag order. And new data outlines priorities for rural voters in ten battleground states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Some small towns in North Dakota worry they'll go to pot if marijuana is legalized, school vouchers are becoming a litmus test for Republicans, and Bennington, Vermont implements an innovative substance abuse recovery program.

Local KY Communities Tackle Youth Vaping Crisis

play audio
Play

Tuesday, September 19, 2023   

Widespread vaping among young Kentuckians continues to be a public health concern - and some local communities are coming up with innovative ways to tackle the issue. A big win in the battle against nicotine came when the Commonwealth raised the age limit to purchase nicotine products to 21.

Lauren Carr, director of the Graves County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy and Prevention, said local shops are still selling vapes to kids. Her county is incentivizing business owners not to sell to minors.

"We reward the clerks that do not sell with a gift card," she said. "So we say, 'Hey, thank you for not selling to the kids. Because that is preventing it from getting into the schools.'"

Experts say tobacco retail licensing can help protect youth from the harmful effects of vaping and can also improve equity among low-income and communities of color, often targeted by the tobacco industry.

According to Kentucky Youth Advocates, about 35 states require retailers to hold a license to sell tobacco products, but Kentucky is not one of them.

Sydney Shafer, a high school student in Scott County, said after her grandfather passed away from lung cancer, she became passionate about raising awareness among state lawmakers about the harms of vaping.

"Big vape companies are targeting younger audiences with fun flavors, like cotton candy and coffee," she argued. "It's deceptive and manipulative, and I would just want to educate other people and let them know that vaping is not as safe as they think."

Bruce Crouch, drug prevention officer with the Youth Coalition Prevention Group at Taylor County High School, said his school district recently received an opioid settlement grant from the state to expand drug prevention work.

"We actually started with our intermediate school, with fourth-graders," Crouch reported. "And we introduced a program, the 'Too Good for Drugs' program. So, they are actually getting that early education about the dangers of nicotine use."

Research from the CDC and FDA finds more than 2.5 million middle and high school students nationwide reported e-cigarette use in 2022. Nearly 85% of youth who vape used flavored e-cigarettes, and more than half used disposable e-cigarettes.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Research shows children in families of color, particularly Black and Latino families, have been more likely to experience gaps in health coverage. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

More than 300,000 children have been dropped from Medicaid and Peach Care for kids since the pandemic ended. A report from the Georgetown University …


Health and Wellness

play sound

A Chicago mom who lost her son to cancer in 2022 is using the occasion of Mother's Day to call on Illinois lawmakers to pass medical aid-in-dying legi…

Environment

play sound

Wisconsin's clean-energy portfolio is growing. Communities seeing the transition happen at their doorstep might get benefits, but sometimes have …


Part of the New York HEAT Act ensures no household would pay more than 6% of its annual income on gas or electricity bills. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

With less than a month left in the New York Legislature's session, environmentalists are pushing for the HEAT Act's passage. Last-minute stalling …

Social Issues

play sound

Teachers in Louisiana are trying to stop an upcoming constitutional convention proposed by Gov. Jeff Landry. The governor, who has been in office for …

Around 43% of participating voters said that while they are personally against abortion, they do not believe government should be preventing someone from making that decision for themselves. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

Arizona's primary election will take place in July, and a new Rural Democracy Initiative poll shows that likely voters from rural areas of the state …

Social Issues

play sound

Ohio lawmakers are considering legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour for most Ohio workers and create a refundable Ohio Earned…

Social Issues

play sound

Voting-rights advocates continue their push to restore these rights for formerly incarcerated Mississippians after lawmakers failed to act. House …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021