Department of Health Urges Virgin Islanders to Join the Fight Against Tobacco

US Virgin Islands — This March the Department of Health (VIDOH) is urging all Virgin Islanders to become familiar with the dangers inherent with the use of all forms of tobacco products. Residents can join the fight by supporting the national “Join the Fight Against Tobacco” recognition. The recognition extends from March 1 through April 1, 2022.

Never smoking or trying e-cigarettes is key to ensuring you or your children will NOT develop the health endangering and highly addictive habit of smoking. E-cigarettes or vapes are electronic devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol that the user inhales. Most E-cigarettes contain nicotine which is a very addictive substance that can harm adolescent brain development.

Unfortunately, not all e-cigarettes or vape pods are manufactured the same way. Manufacturers place varying amounts of nicotine in their products that can range anywhere between no (zero percent) nicotine all the way up to 40 mg of nicotine per milliliter (mL).

Most vape cartridges are labeled 3mg, 6mg, 12mg nicotine but that number is actually the amount of milligram per mL. Therefore the nicotine content is much higher in total volume than it appears. The inconsistent quantities of nicotine found in vape pods poses a real health hazard for all users; especially adolescents. Because of the discrepancies unsuspecting consumers have no way to predict the dosage they might inhale. When a full pod is smoked, like a JUUL for example, the smoker can ingest a nicotine dose equivalent to a full pack of regular cigarettes.

Additionally, using vapes as a youth increases the likelihood the individual will smoke regular cigarettes in the future leading to additional and possibly life-threatening health concerns.

The best way to avoid the health hazards associated with smoking or the use of E-cigarettes is to never start. For help with quitting smoking download the following apps: “This is Quitting” or “quitSTART”.

Join the fight against tobacco and remember, “Together, we can beat Captain Vape.”