New York parents are being warned that illegal vaping devices masquerading as school supplies — including highlighters, USB drives and ballpoint pens — are being peddled just in time for fall.
The devices are sold on the Internet and the black market and come from overseas, according to the New York Department Store Association.
“These predatory overseas products are clearly targeted at children and are deliberately manufactured to look like school supplies to avoid detection from teachers and parents,” NYACS President Kent Sopris said in a statement.
Some items sell vapes in kid-friendly flavors, including mango, strawberry banana and blueberry ice.
The organization urges parents and teachers to be vigilant to prevent dangerous devices from falling into the hands of children.
Stefan Bjes, a patrol sergeant who has served with a police department in suburban Chicago for more than 19 years and who also serves as a school resource officer, warned that these illegal and unregulated devices are “driving the youth vaping epidemic.
“Disposable vapes in flavors that appeal to children are illegal in the United States, yet are still widely available and criminally trafficked in stores across the country,” he told Fox News.
Parents are being warned about vape companies designing products to look like regular school supplies.highlightvape/Instagram
A vape that looks like a highlighter.highlightvape/Instagram
According to Bjes, the vape came from China and “is not controlled at all.”
“Because it is not controlled, it can contain harmful substances that can cause long-term damage to the user,” he said.
“There’s no way of knowing their nicotine content or what else might be in them. We know these Chinese manufacturers of illegal disposable vapes also make and distribute fentanyl into the United States.”
According to the New York Convenience Store Association, the vapes are sold online and come from overseas.highlightvape/Instagram
Some vapes are sold in kid-friendly flavors like mango and strawberry banana.highlightvape/Instagram
A recent CDC study found that by 2022, more than 2.5 million middle and high school students reported current or past use of e-cigarettes.
Sales of e-cigarettes jumped nearly 50% between 2020 and 2022, according to the CDC.
“Parents everywhere should continue to work hard to ensure that their children do not use these dangerous illegal vapes and that their local authorities take action to remove them from store shelves,” added Bjes.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
