Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: Welcome Back to our 21st, 2025 podcast. Just say something here. Philip Clark. Hope everyone had a wonderful and joyous Christmas and New Year's.
You know, one of the top subjects that we get questions about, especially from schools, is centered around vaping. So today we have two of our resident experts, Maureen and Stacy, who go out into the schools and do programs. And so welcome to this episode.
And so as you build the relationships with the schools and you go in and do a presentation for kids who are caught vaping tobacco, because I know vaping THC is another topic, but vaping tobacco, what does a typical, if there is such presentation look like?
[00:01:18] Speaker C: First of all, we'd like to say thank you to a lot of the principals for the invite to come in to let us come in and have these presentations with our youth.
Particular day seems like field will probably be kids between 5 to sometimes 10 is our largest crowd. All of them have been caught vaping one, maybe two of them out of the group probably vaping thc. And as they come in, they sit around, they are very, very quiet until we start explaining to them and showing them the side effects or the consequences down the road how vaping will affect them later on in life. And that's one of the first things they always say before they leave.
I didn't know this.
[00:02:12] Speaker A: We usually start with the history of tobacco and we talk about the different corporate tobacco companies and how now we're kind of trying to educate on how a lot of those corporations are changing their business models and finding products that are seemingly targeted to a younger audience, such as the vapes, which are not necessarily tobacco flavored but fruit flavored, candy flavored, colorful packaging. And now how they're transitioning into smokeless tobacco products like Zyn, for instance. And we do try to highlight the relationship between these corporations which are also segueing into healthcare products such as inhalers, highlighting how money is just such a huge factor in the motivations for these corporations and how they're not really looking to help in health. It's not going to be good for the students to be vaping or using tobacco products.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: So they're kind of on both ends of the spectrum.
They're causing issues and problems with our kids by promoting vaping, especially with the flavors. But then they're also providing medicine that I'm sure some of the students that have become addicted to vaping in the nicotine that as they go through whatever process their body does that they probably have to may end up on an inhaler. So you know, there are companies are, I hate to say greed, but you know, they're going to get it one way or both ways. So when working with especially the high school kids, what are some of the common misconceptions that the kids express to y'all within your presentation?
[00:04:21] Speaker C: It's safer than tobacco.
[00:04:24] Speaker A: Oh, nicotine.
[00:04:25] Speaker C: Nicotine.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Oh, okay.
[00:04:26] Speaker C: Yeah, it's safer than nicotine.
That's why, Mr. Stacy. That's why it was made for us, because it's safer.
What's supposed to go into your lungs? Air. What are you putting into your lungs? And aerosol. But that's one of the first things that come up, Phil, is that they think it's safe.
[00:04:44] Speaker B: And so what's your, as part of the lesson, what's your comeback for that?
[00:04:49] Speaker A: I mean, it's obviously the vapes are newer and we don't have as much research, but we have noticed that there's like a spike in adolescents being treated for vaping related injuries which can be fatal.
And also just highlighting how at one point in time cigarettes were cool and how now people see them as kind of disgusting. And that if you look towards the future, once there's more information about it, there's going to be the same kind of perception about the vapes. So why not kind of adopt that mentality now?
[00:05:28] Speaker B: Sure. So, you know, we know that within the high schools and in middle school more so a lot of it's peer pressure of getting the kids to use the vape or, you know, they're meeting in the restrooms, passing the vapes around.
What are some of the key aspects of a teenager's life these days that would want to make them try a vape?
[00:06:02] Speaker C: I think, like Maureen said earlier, is the flavors and some peer pressure. But listen to some of the students. They see their parents or the older siblings using the vapes and that's the reason why a lot of them have started using the vape pens.
[00:06:22] Speaker A: I agree that that's true. Yeah, kids do get passed, you know, vapes through family members and adults, which makes them more, you know, susceptible to getting addicted or wanting to do it. But I also think that the youth definitely has kind of an addiction to serotonin. So that might be like watching short clips online vaping. It's just they have very low attention spans and I think just way too much access to artificial forms of happiness that are really not long lasting.
[00:06:58] Speaker B: That space basically sold to them on social media, TikTok and some of those other platforms that kids love to spend all that time on can either one of you share with our listening audience memorable story from one of the students that you've been in front of.
Maybe something that was very drastic that if how a vape affected them.
[00:07:27] Speaker C: The one that comes to mind was last year at Wadehampton High School, where one of the young mans had to be rushed to the hospital because of his vape pens. He had honestly went through two of the jewels, and I think each one of those jewels was like a 5,000 puff jewel. And so that equals to almost like eight to ten packs of cigarettes that he had smoked in just two days. And it kind of left some damage to his lungs.
[00:08:03] Speaker A: Yeah. So far, from my experience, which I've only been going in for a few months now, I would just say that a lot of the students, you know, are pretty closed off about talking about it. But the more memorable ones are the ones who are really receptive to it in the beginning and at least willing to admit that they vape. They have a problem. And, you know, it feels good after the end of the session when students are like, I don't want to do this anymore. Even if they're not, you know, it takes time to quit. It can be hard to quit, but that they're looking forward to a future where they're choosing not to vape.
[00:08:38] Speaker B: Yeah, typically we tell people, those that smoke or vape, that want to quit, every day is a new day, so they can quit every day. And so as you're in the schools and as we're out and about doing programs for parents and teachers, our educators and coaches, what advice do you often provide to the parent or caregiver about how to have a conversation with their child about this?
[00:09:11] Speaker C: Just say something.
Just talk with your kids about any and everything.
When I talk with parents, the first thing I ask them, I said, do you love your child? And 99% of them raised their hand and said, yes. And say, do you really, really love your child? And they say, yes. And I said, if you love your child and if you're not conversating with their child and you know what your child is doing, and if you don't do anything, do you really, really love your child?
And that get them to start thinking. I said, because your children want to talk with their children want to talk with their parents, but they're afraid to talk to you about certain things special about school and what's going on in school. You have to just talk with them. Start off small talk.
Good morning. How was your day? How was school? Whatever happened, anything happened in school today?
Just small talk. And that small talk over the day, over the weeks and the months and years, excuse me, we come to a conversation where that child will be honestly open and freely to come and talk with you, but that parent really have to start that conversation with that child.
[00:10:26] Speaker A: And I might add that especially with some of the high schoolers, they've mentioned maybe having like, tense relationships with their parents. And to parents, I would say, I mean, we have a lot of, like, parenting and family programs, and there's really just no shame in seeking help if you're having a tough time. And even if you're not, there's always something to be learned.
Yeah.
[00:10:53] Speaker B: So I know one of the things along with that, you know, when your child is born, I typically say your little darling didn't come with an owner's manual.
So here we are to help.
And often in our jobs, we're provided with professional development so we can do our job better. I look at the parenting piece as providing professional development for parents so they can make things a little bit easier at home.
You can start building. Well, you build that relationship with your child from day one when you bring, when you have that child.
Not to say you can't still have a relationship with them in high school, but if that's where you're starting to build that relationship, it's going to be a lot harder work. So the earlier you start in the child's life, the better off all of you will be.
So as we wrap this up, and I know, Stacy, you've been doing this for 20 some odd years.
And so we've seen that shift from tobacco products, whether it's dip or cigarettes, and now to vaping and the other opportunities that our companies present our kids to use these substances. What motivates you to continue to do this work? And then for you, what does it look like the. The piece or the advice that you give our kids or the kids that you're in front of that gives them hope?
[00:12:41] Speaker C: What motivates me every day, I think every child needs to be a child to have a future, a good life.
It cannot be when you put chemicals in your body that shouldn't be there. That's what keeps me motivated. Just to educate them, to let them know, just to inform them. These chemicals that they're putting in their body, which only is going to have side effects down the road, 10 to 15 to 20 years down the road. Like Maureen would say, we really don't know the side effects, how quick it's going to affect these middle school and high school students that's been vaping for the last three to five years or longer.
I feel that really, really keeps me motivated. And I want to tell all kids, that's a future out there for you.
That's a future. That's a life for you. It's better than putting something into your body that's going to slow, hold you back for the next five or 10 years or take years off of your life.
Every child should grow up to be a healthy, strong and adult person. All children. And that's why we here just say something to develop them, to help develop that child to have a healthy relationship with life and with their families.
[00:14:05] Speaker B: Okay. All right, good. Maureen, I know you're newer to this, and so just with your few months of being into the schools and working with the kids is. And I know how your passion is in, in. In where that comes from for you.
What's your hope for this programming as we take it into the schools and the community?
[00:14:35] Speaker A: Ideally, I would like to see students setting goals, like Stacy said, just like building a better future for themselves and also realizing that what seems easy in the short term, which is maybe just vaping, hanging out at home, watching TikTok, not really doing anything in the long term is going to be harder. And that choosing yourself, choosing to work and is, it's just going to be better for you. And I would like to see that impact on the students.
[00:15:07] Speaker B: Okay. All right. Well, thank you. Well, that concludes this week's episode of Just say Somethings podcast. I want to thank Maureen and Stacy for sharing with us today about our vaping programming that is available for our community. And. And if you want more information, just pick up the phone and call 864-467-4099.
And thank you again for joining us. And I look forward to seeing you next week. Have a great one. Thank you.
[00:15:41] Speaker A: Bye. Thank.
