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A Source of Pride

I want to let the town of Clinton know about a campaign being hosted by REACT at The Morgan School called End the Trend. REACT members are donning T-shirts with the logo at school and are handing out a variety of give aways to increase their peers’ awareness of the dangers of using E-cigarettes.

With the teen use of vape products recently coined an “epidemic” by the U.S. surgeon general, this campaign could not be more timely. REACT teens are sharing the information they have gained through trainings and attending conferences during this campaign and are highlighting the majority of their peers who are actually not using vapes. There are posters, fliers, lip balms, bracelets, and stickers that remind students to “Be a Husky, not a Guinea Pig.” A bulletin board explains what being a guinea pig means under this campaign: not falling victim to being experimented on by vape companies like Juul and Flare.

Decades ago, smoking cigarettes was advertised to be safe, and now we all know how deadly that can be. Current research indicates that vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes, but it is not a safe choice. Teens are quickly addicted to high levels of nicotine in the ejuice and are having health complications from the heat of the inhalation and the ingredients of the ejuice itself.

We should be proud of REACT for taking on this epidemic and sharing factual information with their peers. They are also providing easily accessed resources if someone needs help quitting vaping. REACT members are great role models and their campaigns should be a source of pride for our town!

Kelley Edwards

Clinton