November 13th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

West Virginia is first in the nation when it comes to middle school children using e-cigarettes. “These things are now being seen in middle schools and we’ve even seen them in elementary schools,” American Heart Association Communications Director Kevin Pauley said Tuesday as the AHA was preparing to have a community conversation at South Charleston Middle School. Data shows more than 1 in 6, 17%, of West Virginia middle schoolers vape which represents a 160% increase since 2017. The increase in vaping comes as smoking cigarettes has decreased significantly. Pauley said in 1997 1 out of every 4 high school students in the state smoked cigarettes. He said that number was 1 in 20 in 2020. Pauley said the latest data show that more than 1 in 5 high school students vape. He said they’ve believed it’s healthier than smoking.