HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Issues regarding the use of e-cigarettes on the island will be discussed at What’s In The Air: The Vape Debate, hosted by a University of Guam master of public administration practicum class. The meeting will have people from the fields of health and education plus those in the vape business.
What’s In The Air: The Vape Debate will be from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday at the UOG College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences lecture hall. The meeting will cover how e-cigarettes rose in popularity as well as the sale, possession and use of electronic cigarettes within Guam’s communities.
E-cigarettes include vape products such as Juul, which rose in popularity and spread across the United States during the 2010s, and they were initially made as a tool to help smokers quit the smoking habit. Today, the 2021 Guam State Epidemiological Profile reports that 1 of 3, or nearly 35.2%, of high school students and 34.6% of middle school students have used or are using e-cigarettes. Guam’s youth e-cigarette use ranks the highest in the Asia-Pacific region, according to UOG.
The class told The Guam Daily Post that they hope the meeting will help policymakers by highlighting the information, data and different perspectives necessary.
“We believe that this debate will encourage our community to be mindful and aware of the impact that electronic vapor products has on our youth, as well as encourage the policymakers to be more informed when drafting bills that affect the community and the business owners,” said Rocco Samuel, MPA graduating candidate at UOG.
For more details on the meeting, contact Rhoda Basto at [email protected].
A person blows a cloud of smoke as he vapes Monday Aug. 14, 2023 in Hagåtña.
