Last week, I noticed a Facebook post from a local high school addressing vaping and the implementation of an in-house education program so the dangers and effects can be addressed.

Vaping has gained popularity among young people recently. Did you know that almost 40% of high school students in North Dakota have used electronic vapor products? This figure has overtaken cigarette use among high school students in North Dakota and is still a cause for worry in the state.

The use of commercial tobacco products has a significant and well-documented harmful impact on users' physical and mental health. Whether it's a cigarette or a vape, smoking harms almost all of the body's organs.

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Every day, we learn something new about the negative impacts of vaping, such as the emissions from vaping items or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). As an example: Using cigarettes and other types of nicotine as a teen, such as vaping, prepares the brain for a lifetime of addiction.

Here are some quick facts according to North Dakota Health & Human Services wants everyone to know about vaping.

Vaping -> Smoking
Youth and young adults who have ever used e-cigarettes are seven times more likely to become smokers than youth who have never vaped.3

Mental Health
Nicotine use impacts mental health. A cross-sectional study of 30,000 current e-cigarette users found that frequent vaping increases their odds to be 2.4 times more likely to have been diagnosed with depression. Nicotine use is also related to increased stress levels and anxiety.

Data
Of all the tobacco and nicotine products North Dakota high school students have tried, vaping has been the most tried product among North Dakota high schoolers from 2015 to the present.

If you want some help quitting vaping or smoking, here are 2 options to consider.

NDQuits
NDQuits successfully serves more than 3,000 North Dakotans every year. The leading resource for North Dakotans seeking assistance to quit smoking or nicotine use, this program offers free services to help you quit your way.
• 1-800-QUIT-NOW
• hhs.nd.gov/ndquits

My Life My Quit
NDQuits supports individuals of all ages who want to quit but also has specific tools available to youth and young adults who are ready to be tobacco-free through the My Life, My Quit program. This is a free, confidential program that helps teens ages 13-17 quit vaping and other tobacco products.
• Text “Start My Quit” to 36072 to learn more.
• My Life, My Quit™ ND

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Check Out the Best-Selling Album From the Year You Graduated High School

Do you remember the top album from the year you graduated high school? Stacker analyzed Billboard data to determine just that, looking at the best-selling album from every year going all the way back to 1956. Sales data is included only from 1992 onward when Nielsen's SoundScan began gathering computerized figures.

Going in chronological order from 1956 to 2020, we present the best-selling album from the year you graduated high school.

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