We have good news to report on the vaping front! Across the United States, rates of teenage nicotine vaping have taken a genuine nosedive. Currently, about 20% of high school seniors report any nicotine vaping over the past year. This is far less than what we observed pre-pandemic, when about 35% of high school seniors reported vaping. The results from 10^th and 8^th graders bring similar good news that vaping nicotine is on the decline.

These results align well with a recent personal experience speaking to a group of high school students. Most of these kids already recognized that vaping was essentially no healthier than smoking traditional cigarettes. In fact, use of alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs have also trended downward in high school students, making this generation about as mischievous as the teenagers on Happy Days. As the legendary British band, “The Who,” sang many years ago, “The kids are alright!”

Of course, we are not ready to quit our day jobs here at Johns Hopkins (though we might get fired by President Trump). We do not know how these national statistics translate to our unique community. Many teenagers and adults continue to struggle with vaping and other substance use. And as parents, the job of providing correct substance use education is never completely over because curiosity, sensation seeking, and peer pressure are all part of normal adolescence.  

You have to hand it to the ever-resilient tobacco industry. While the rest of us were focused on e-cigarettes and the dangers of vaping, they were busy creating new nicotine products for our kids to ingest. The latest is called the oral nicotine pouch. It is sold at gas stations and convenience stores for about five-to-ten dollars per package, with brand names like Velo, On!, and Rogue. The brand Zyn is the JUUL equivalent in the nicotine pouch world, accounting for most of the marketing and sales.  

I hope everyone reading this article had a safe Purim. In a recent article, I suggested several approaches parents might take to help their kids make it safely through Purim, including: 1) educating teenagers about alcohol effects and safe drinking, 2) reaching out to hosts about their plans to supervise drinking and provide transportation, and 3) remaining “on call” to drive kids home as needed. The point was that some teenagers will drink on Purim with or without our permission, and a pro-active approach may mitigate harm.

Dear Dr. Kidorf,

I started cleaning for Pesach this week and took the opportunity to clean my eighth-grade son’s room while he was in school. I was going to surprise him with a clean and orderly room. It occurred to me that maybe I shouldn’t go into his drawers, but I had to put things away, and I figured he is still young, so he probably wouldn’t object. Anyway, I found some things that are concerning. I wasn’t sure what they were, but my friend confirmed that the small colorful tubes and other paraphernalia are used for vaping. I am quite upset. I realize that young teens experiment with smoking, but I didn’t think my son would do it. Although he is not the most popular kid in the class, he has friends, and he is a fairly good student. He was never a troublesome kid and basically gets along at home and in school. I have two questions: Is this dangerous for a child his age? More importantly, what is the right approach now that I have made this discovery? Should I just ignore it and pretend I didn’t see, or should I confront him. If so, how?

The wonderful holiday of Purim is once again on the horizon and, along with the feasting and fun, comes the yearly challenge of teenage drinking. Many of us would like to say to our teens, “If you are offered alcohol, just say no,” and if they listened, there would be no need for this article. The reality, however, is that teenage drinking on Purim is common and perhaps even encouraged (or at least accepted) in some parts of our community. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to present harm reduction strategies for teenagers who choose to drink on Purim.

Dear Dr. Kidorf,

I just came home from Israel. I was in a good yeshiva, and it was a great two years. I learned a lot, saw the country – it was great. One thing I learned in Israel was how to drink on Shabbos. Most guys did, so I tried it. And I liked it. But I only drink on Shabbos; never during the week.

Before my first Shabbos home, I asked my mother if she would buy some beer. (I can’t buy it myself as I am only 20.) She agreed. On Friday night, I was trying all the wines on the table. My parents always put out a lot of bottles of wine, all different kinds – not that anybody drinks a lot. But they enjoy wine.