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EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. (NEWS10) -The East Greenbush Central School District is said to have their board members vote on a partial settlement of vaping litigation on November 8. The resolution is between the district and tobacco company Altria.
In their resolution, law firms representing East Greenbush CSD are asking for no less than $6,182 as they say vaping has become more widespread in recent years. The litigation blames Altria and its line of products.
Doctor Jim Saperstone with Community Care Pediatrics agrees with the school. “They manipulated, we all feel, by flavoring these products to attract teenagers.”
The CDC reports that tobacco use from 2022 to 2023 is down from 16.5% to 12.6% in high schoolers but did have a slight uptick from 1.5% to 2.5% in middle schoolers. They also say of these products, e-cigarettes are the most common, and almost nine out of every ten vapes are flavored.
The school says kids have even been caught vaping on school grounds, costing the school disciplinary overtime and obvious health risks for the students. “Nicotine is a very addictive chemical, especially in a growing teenager whose brain is very susceptible to addiction. You’re introducing a potential lifelong health hazard at a very early age and we have an opportunity to try to mitigate or curve that,” explained Saperstone.
Dr. Saperstone says a ban on flavored vapes would likely end most teen tobacco use, but addiction is still a factor. He says there are resources to get help such as through New York State.
“This is where you begin to introduce nicotine abatement products like gum or patches. Parents have to be involved with that too. Supervise it and make sure the teenagers are compliant.”
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