Alexandria Launches Vaping Prevention Campaign to Encourage Youth to Stay Substance-Free

ALEXANDRIA, VA-The City of Alexandria, in collaboration with the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria, has launched a vaping prevention campaign on social media. The campaign features six short videos to warn teens of the dangers of e-cigarettes and encourage them to stay substance-free.

The videos, created by T.C. Williams High School students, star Alexandria youth sharing the reasons they choose not to vape. People on social media are invited to share these videos to help raise awareness.

A Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that in 2016, only 7.5 percent of 10th graders and six percent of eighth graders reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.

According to a city press release, “youth who reach the age of 18 without smoking are three times less likely to ever start.”

The goal of the campaign is to keep the numbers above low. The city reports that most Alexandria teens are not using e-cigarettes.

E-cigarette is an umbrella term for a variety of devices, including vape pens, that produce an inhalable aerosol containing thousands of harmful chemicals. Many e-cigarettes contain nicotine.

Parents and guardians can visit HealthierAlexandria.org/SAPCA to access free resources and information on how to talk with youth about the risks using e-cigarettes and how to support them in quitting these and tobacco products.

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