SARASOTA, Fla. — The number of Florida teens who are vaping has surged 78 percent in the past year.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is touring the state to bring attention to the issue, stopping in Sarasota.
She said she's putting a team together to identify how the state can tackle the epidemic-- analyzing laws and provide a better education.
Part of the problem is the two-thirds of the teens do not realize there's nicotine in vape pods.
“Are we teaching parents effectively?” Moody asks. She said in tours around the state that “parents often believe these devices are healthy.”
She’s also heard that parents are often the ones giving the devices to their kids.
There are many reasons why you don't want your kids to vape. One vape pod is the equivalent of a pack of traditional cigarettes.
That high level of nicotine can affect cognition, memory and how their bodies function.
The brain doesn't fully develop until they turn 25 years old. That means there's potential for long-term adverse effects.
Studies show teens that smoked traditional cigarettes had a number of problems as adults.
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