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'Nicotine Brain Explained;' The state's newest media campaign aims to curb vaping

Even as the popularity of e-cigarettes exploded — with unknown health risks — the federal government was slow to regulate vaping companies.
Eva Hambach
/
AFP via Getty Images
Even as the popularity of e-cigarettes exploded — with unknown health risks — the federal government was slow to regulate vaping companies.

The state health department is trying to address several misperceptions about vaping with a new media campaign.

'Nicotine Brain Explained' aims to reach and educate youth through different platforms about the negative impacts of nicotine on mental health.

Years of marketing has branded tobacco products as a way to relieve stress. However, studies have shown nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes, not only negatively impact overall physical health but also brain development.

Lola Irvin, an administrator at the state's Department of Health, says that the human brain continues to develop until a person is about 26-years-old.

"So with the pandemic and the effects of the pandemic, if the teens are already experiencing depression or feeling stressed – vaping actually is going to have a negative impact," she says.

"It can make the stress feel worse. It can actually throw off then there are neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin that affect how you feel. And the youth can actually feel more unhappy and not like themselves. It can disrupt their sleep, it can disrupt their attention span."

Irvin says teens who vape also have an increased risk of mood disorders later in life.

For more information on 'Nicotine Brain Explained,' click here.

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