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State health official to LIAC: youth vaping up, schools offered quit tools and training
Summary
A Louisiana Department of Health official presented state survey data showing youth vaping increases and outlined cessation and prevention resources for schools, including LiveVapeFree, QuitWithUsLA and a new school‑administrator vaping training launched July 14.
A Louisiana Department of Health official told the Legislative Youth Advisory Council that youth vaping remains a public-health concern and walked students through state survey results, health risks and school-level resources aimed at prevention and cessation.
Terrell Gill of the Louisiana Department of Health reviewed results from the Louisiana Youth Tobacco Survey, saying current vaping rates had grown: in 2023, about 18 percent of middle-school students and roughly 30 percent of high‑school students reported current vape use, while 77 percent of middle-schoolers and 83 percent of high‑schoolers said they believed vaping is harmful.
“Vapes are battery powered devices that deliver nicotine, flavorings, and other ingredients to the user,” Gill said. He described how e‑cigarette aerosols can contain nicotine, ultrafine particles, heavy metals and flavoring chemicals linked to lung disease, and warned that nicotine is highly addictive and harmful to developing brains.
Gill described a suite of youth and adult resources the state promotes: LiveVapeFree (a youth‑focused, interactive quit program with text coaching), QuitWithUsLA (a digital quit-coaching platform), the statewide tobacco quitline at 1‑800‑QUIT‑NOW, and UnfilteredFacts (a youth‑targeted information brand at unfilteredfacts.com). He also said the School Administrators Vape‑Free training launched July 14 on the WellAhead platform and that a state toolkit for tobacco‑free schools is available for districts considering policy updates.
Why it matters: Gill urged school administrators and students to use available tools and to recognize disguised devices and flavored products targeting youth. He outlined health consequences (lung inflammation, cardiovascular risk, cognitive effects and potential for addiction) and noted that age‑of‑initiation data show most users first try tobacco around ages 13–14.
Questions from LIAC members covered flavored and disposable vape products, nicotine pouches and whether enforcement alone would curb youth use. Gill said many products on the market are unregulated and flavorings help drive youth uptake; he recommended a mix of prevention education, policy and cessation support.
Ending: Department of Health staff left links, QR codes and contact information for school administrators and urged LIAC members to help spread prevention messages and connect peers to quit resources.
