State statistics show that high school students in the Commonwealth use non traditional smoking products such as vapes double that of traditional smoking products. Just when you might have thought some headway was being made in reducing the number of young people picking up the habit of smoking cigarettes or dipping — along comes vaping.

Having never used tobacco products of any kind I don’t have firsthand knowledge of the struggle so many of my family, friends and perhaps even you have been through trying to quit. Most, if not all were “hooked” while in high school — if not sooner. I can’t think of a single individual who has told me “I’m so glad I started smoking or dipping,” and now vaping has been added to the list.
As recently reported in The Gazette Charlotte County Public Schools (CCPS) added vape products to the list of banned nicotine products being used on school property. State law does not allow smoking in school or on school buses and buildings.

“According to Interim Superintendent Robbie Mason CCPS is now following Gov. Ralph Northam’s bill that was signed early this year to ban nicotine products on all school property or at school-sponsored events.
“This means all tobacco products and nicotine products such as vapes are banned on school property and this includes students, staff, parents, visitors or anyone on school grounds,” said Mason.

“Mason also stressed the point that this ban would carry over to anyone attending after school events such as games. “
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n hoping to lessen the impact on health and wallets many of my family and friends who took up a nicotine habit in their younger impressionable years made the jump to vape products. Unfortunately, for most of them, they only traded one nicotine addiction for another. Health benefits remain to be seen — there just hasn’t been enough time to tell what the long-term health effects of vape products will be. We do know it didn’t turn out well for traditional tobacco products.

I commend CCPS for taking a stance and banning all tobacco products on all campuses and during all school functions.

Betty J. Ramsey is publisher for The Charlotte Gazette and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. Her email address is Betty.Ramsey@TheCharlotteGazette.com.