(The Center Square) — An increasing number of Georgia students are vaping, and by the time they encounter Juan Guardado, they’ve had the habit for some time.
“It’s an issue that starts early,” Guardado, a Gwinnett County Public Schools school resource officer, told members of the House Study Committee on Safety and Consumer Protection of Nicotine Vapor Products. “By the time they get to my high school, they already have an addiction.”
“When we find a student vaping nicotine or THC, what we like to do is bring them in, have a sit down with them, explain the consequences that vaping can have towards their health and also the legal consequences that it can bring to them,” Guardado added. “Most of the time, I will tell you it helps, especially when you have that sit down, and you show the student that you care about them, that you’re there to educate them.”
A recent study from the University of Georgia found vaping has increased among nonsmoking youths in recent years, with 41% having vaped nicotine and 26.2% having vaped marijuana.