Photo: Vaping (photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Belmont Wellness Coalition is presenting a virtual community forum on vaping this Monday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. The discussion will highlight vaping trends- cannabis and nicotine – and promote prevention strategies.

The link to register for the forum can be found here.

Leading the discussion will be Dr. Kevin Hill, an addiction psychiatrist, Director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

In 2019, more than half of Massachusetts high school students reported using e-cigarettes at least once, a rate six times higher than adults. One in eight high schoolers has vaped nationwide in the past 30 days.

Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s. According to a 2022 study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future.