Tobacco
Continued from page 10
that many of the e-cigarettes or vaping products available today have at minimum as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes, many of them with far more nicotine. An e-cigarette user could become the equivalent of a pack-aday smoker without realizing it.
Nicotine is highly addictive and, in any form, unsafe for the development of the young brain. Nicotine can also prime the brain for addiction to other drugs in the future. Oftentimes, these products are used as a method to de-stress, but most people don’t realize that the use of tobacco or nicotine is actually a stressor.
To help keep your children from using tobacco or vaping products, some important steps you can take include:
• Visit with your children about how addictive and dangerous tobacco and vaping can be.
• Make your home and your vehicles tobacco-free for everyone from family members, friends and guests.
• Tell your children you expect them to be tobacco-free.
• Encourage your children to be involved in activities at school, church or around the community.
• Don’t let your children watch movies, TV programming or video games that depict tobacco use.
• Find out where your community stands on policies known to reduce tobacco use by youth, such as school-based tobacco bans, smoke free policies, and high prices on tobacco products.
• Set a good example by not using tobacco yourself.
Note that social media is the main method used for advertising vaping products.
To get started on your quit journey, call 1-800-QUIT NOW or visiting www.QuitNowMontana. com. For questions on how to quit tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, contact me at 406-653-6212.
