GenFree Mississippi educators recently warned Copiah County elementary students on the dangers of vaping.

GenFree MS trains students to become youth advocates who inspire change and educate their peers about the dangers of tobacco and vaping. Hazlehurst Middle School nurse Stephanie Parish invited the organization to speak to fourth- and sixth-graders. Parish has been a Mississippi Health Ambassador for several years and is committed to public health advocacy.

By engaging students to take charge of advocacy in their schools and local communities, GenFree MS helps these students utilize their voices for an advocacy-filled life. The organization, housed and managed by the non-profit Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi — aspires to ignite the spark in these students so they may make a positive change for Mississippi.

“If Big Tobacco can hook its users early, as early as a child, then they have a lifetime customer, don’t they?” said Jessica Breazeale of Wesson, GenFree MS educator. 

Educators shared the science behind vaping, exploring its impact on young minds and bodies. The goal is to empower students with knowledge, helping them make informed decisions about their health and well-being.

“We know these products are being developed and designed with kids in mind. These e-cigarettes and other tobacco products are meant for children. It’s horribly deceptive. By selling these products every-where, readily available, children are conditioned to think vape is safe or normal,” said Breazeale. “There’s nothing normal about targeting children through deception.”

The increase in e-cigarette use, particularly among young people, is a dangerous trend with real health risks, according to the American Heart Association. For many reasons, AHA warns, e-cigarettes should not be promoted as a safe alternative to smoking.

More than $8.2 billion is spent by “Big Tobacco” and “Big Vape” annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The American Lung Association has announced a broad plan to end youth vaping that encompasses education, advocacy and research.

According to ALA, more than one-in-four high school students use e-cigarettes and the increase in youth vaping has led the US Surgeon General to call it “an epidemic.” Many students experience social pressure to vape. Others begin vaping in response to the trigger of stress. Kids are drawn to the flavors, packaging and marketing tactics. 

According to CDC, during 2024 e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students in the United States:

• 1.63 million (5.9%) students currently used e-cigarettes. This includes 410,000 middle school students and 1.21 million high schoolers.

• Among students who currently use e-cigarettes, 87.6% used flavors; and 26.3% used an e-cigarette every day.

“You are just a pawn, a puppet on strings to the tobacco industry. Don’t let them play you!” said Breazeale. “That’s the cold, hard truth.”