CAMPBELL COUNTY, Ky. — As the Food and Drug Administration reports a dramatic dip in the number of kids vaping, officials in Northern Kentucky are working to keep the trend going.
The FDA's 2024 survey found that 1.63 million student in middle and high school said they currently vape — that's compared to 2.13 million in 2023.
That is approximately a 24% decrease from one year to another.
In total, the FDA said those 1.63 million students who vape make up 5.9% of all middle and high school students in the U.S.
Casey Baker, a substance use prevention health educator at the Northern Kentucky Health Department, said Northern Kentucky has "a higher rate of smoking than a lot of the population in Kentucky."
Despite this, she said she's encouraged by the national trends.
“It’s a huge public health win for us,” Baker said.
Baker and her team spread awareness about the dangerous of vaping in order to try and curb the number of kids using nicotine and tobacco products.
That work includes a new initiative called "Tobacco-free tailgates." Baker and her team are spending time at local high school football games to speak directly to students and families about tobacco products.
In Bellevue, a local smoke shop owner said he hasn't seen many kids try to come into his store and attempt to purchase devices they legally can't buy.
"I've really only had one person ever try to come in and it was immediately me asking them for their ID. They said they didn't have it and they just left," said Gavin Custis, who owns VIP Smoke Shop on Fairfield Avenue.
Along with trying to keep vapes out of kids' hands, advocates are trying to keep them out of regular garbage cans.
Megan Abrams, a solid waste coordinator with Campbell County, is helping lead the way to help schools implement safe disposal bins.
Abrams told WCPO 9 that improperly stored or disposed e-cigarettes are a fire hazard.
These new bins help properly store e-cigarette devices before they can be safely recycled.
Abrams said there are various dangerous materials that can be found in an e-cigarette.
“They do actually contain two types of hazardous waste. You have your acute hazardous waste, which is your liquid nicotine mixture. And then you also have your universal waste, which is your lithium-ion battery," she said.
So far, Campbell County has partnered with seven schools and is working to expand.
Abrams said Campbell County has applied for a grant to purchase 10 more bins and pay for disposal costs.
