New York parents be warned that illegal vaping devices disguised as school supplies (including highlighters, USB drives, and pens) are selling out just in time for fall.
The devices are sold online and on the black market and come from abroad, according to the New York Convenience Store Association.
“These predatory foreign products are clearly targeted at children and are intentionally manufactured to look like school supplies to evade detection by teachers and parents,” NYACS President Kent Sopris said in a statement.
Some of the items sell frothers in kid-friendly flavors like mango, strawberry, banana, and blueberry ice cream.
The organization urges parents and teachers to be vigilant to prevent these dangerous devices from reaching the hands of children.
Stefan Bjes, a patrol sergeant who has worked in a suburban Chicago police department for more than 19 years and who also served as a school resource officer, warned that these illegal and unregulated devices are “fueling the epidemic of vaping among young people”.
“Disposable vapes with kid-appealing flavors are illegal in the United States, but are still widely available and criminally trafficked in stores across the country,” he told Fox News.
Parents be warned about vaping companies that design products that look like ordinary school supplies.highlightvape/Instagram
A vaporizer that looks like a highlighter.highlightvape/Instagram
According to Bjes, the vaporizers come from China and are not “fully regulated.”
“Since they are not regulated, they could contain dangerous substances that can cause long-term harm to users,” he said.
“There is no way of knowing its nicotine content or what else it may contain. We know that the Chinese manufacturers of these illegal disposable vaporizers also manufacture and smuggle fentanyl into the United States.”
According to the New York Convenience Store Association, the vaporizers are being sold online and come from abroad.highlightvape/Instagram
Some of the vapes are sold in kid-friendly flavors like mango and strawberry banana.highlightvape/Instagram
A recent CDC study found that in 2022, more than 2.5 million middle and high school students reported current or past use of e-cigarettes.
E-cigarette sales increased nearly 50% between 2020 and 2022, according to the CDC.
“Parents around the world must be diligent to ensure that their children do not use these dangerous illegal vaping devices and that local authorities are taking action to remove them from stores,” Bjes added.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn