Notes from the Field: Characteristics of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Products Confiscated in Public High Schools in California and North Carolina — March and May 2019

An article was released yesterday by CDC's Office on Smoking and Health is releasing the following tobacco-related article in the CDC journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR):

Notes from the Field: Characteristics of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Products Confiscated in Public High Schools in California and North Carolina—March and May 2019

Key findings include:

• Pod-mods, a type of e-cigarette with prefilled or refillable pod cartridges, were the most commonly confiscated devices from high school youth in California (64%) and North Carolina (74%).

• More than 1,000 e-cigarette products were confiscated at 25 public high schools in California and North Carolina during the 2018–2019 academic year.

• E-cigarette, or vaping, products typically contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, can harm adolescent brain development, and prime the brain for addiction.

• School-level efforts to prevent and reduce e-cigarette use among youth could include adopting and enforcing tobacco-free policies; measures that provide access to resources and treatment for students rather than punishment; implementing evidence-based curricula not sponsored by tobacco companies; and educating school staff and parents about the changing product marketplace and health risks of youth e-cigarette use.