Prevention group warns of high vape-shop density and persistent youth vaping in Naugatuck area

Kathy Hanley, a behavioral health program manager with the Western Connecticut Coalition, told members of the Naugatuck Valley regional meeting that the coalition is using funds from the JUUL settlement to run prevention work and that local action may be needed to curb underage vaping.

“The retail environment and how that affects underage use” is a focus of the coalition’s outreach, Hanley said, noting the group’s materials and maps showing clusters of vape stores in parts of the region.

The coalition’s presentation outlined three local concerns: flavored products that attract youth, a rapid rise in the number of retailers in recent years, and weak checks in some stores on what they sell. “When we look at our survey data … young people who indicate that they're using vapes, up to 90 percent of them are saying that they're using flavors,” Hanley said. She added that many disposable flavored products remain unauthorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and that federal enforcement has been slow.

Chelsea Kapitanzic, also a behavioral health program manager with the Western Connecticut…