Red Ribbon Week -- Safe and Drug Free Schools
Morning Announcements – Secondary
Monday: Tobacco Awareness
“Students, this week we are celebrating Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is a national campaign to bring awareness to the risks and dangers of substance abuse. Throughout this week we will discuss different substances and the effect that they have on our brains and bodies. Today, we will discuss tobacco. Tobacco has been available in many forms for a very long time. Tobacco can be consumed in many ways such as smokeless tobacco, cigars, and cigarettes. All of these can be very harmful to the brain and body, such as causing heart and lung disease, emphysema, and cancer. In the last few years, a new way of inhaling tobacco has been produced. These are call E-Cigarettes. Often known as vaping, E-Cigarettes allow smokers to inhale a cloud of vapor instead of smoke. Unfortunately that vapor is full of nicotine which causes our brain to become addicted. Once someone is addicted, it is very hard to stop smoking and often leads us to smoke cigarettes.
Tuesday: Vaping Awareness
“Students, yesterday we learned that using E-Cigarettes, or vaping, can cause addiction because of the nicotine used in the products. Big tobacco companies have paid for the hype you hear about E-Cigarettes. They want you to believe that they are harmless, but their ingredient list is like a bad chemistry experiment. Most E-Cigarettes contain:
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Propylene glycol (pro-puh-leen gl-eye-call)
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Diacetyl (die-a-see-tall)
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Formaldehyde (for-mal-duh-hide)
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Acrolein (a-crow-lee-in)
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Nicotine (nik-oh-teen)
That sounds like toxins with a side of addiction to me. Who wants to pay for fruity-flavored toxins? Not me, I’d rather keep my lungs toxin free.
Wednesday: Media Awareness
“Students, did you know that big tobacco companies have paid for the hype you hear about E-Cigarettes. The celebrities that you see blowing puff clouds have been bought and paid for! They want you to think E-Cigarettes are fun and harmless, but being addicted to nicotine is not cool. Have you seen videos online of people using E-Cigarettes? Those videos are advertisements, bought and paid for by E-Cigarette companies like JUUL and Blu. They’re trying so hard to make E-Cigarettes look cool. They call it vaping, but that’s not exactly a vapor--it’s actually aerosol, a spray of chemicals and nicotine that go deep into the lungs. Don’t believe the hype, it’s still tobacco and it’s still illegal for children and teens.
Thursday: Effects of Vaping
“Students, did you know that most E-Cigarettes production companies are not following the federal regulations for E-Cigarette ingredients, manufacturing, and purity standards. In this non-regulated market, some people have begun to incorporate additional chemicals, substances, and drugs into the vape pods. You can never be completely certain that an E-Cigarette isn’t laced with dangerous poisons or THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana. In their short existence, science has already shown that vaping causes nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, and coughing. It triggers and worsens asthma. It contains toxic chemicals that contribute to popcorn lungs and causes addiction. Scientists and researchers are still testing these products and what we already know causes some big concerns--we don’t quite know the full effect of vaping. Make the safe choice and just say no.
Friday: Prevention
“Students, don’t be fooled by the fruity flavors and hip advertisements. Social media is full of people who are paid to make E-Cigarettes look fun, harmless, and cool. The E-Cigarette companies are targeting teens and young adults so that you become addicted to nicotine and keep paying for their products for years to come. Over the last two years, tobacco use among Middle and High School students has increased by 8.4%. That is the first increase in tobacco use in nearly 20 years and it is all because of E-Cigarettes. Be smart and see through the media. Respect your body and spread the word, “Vaping isn’t a healthy choice.”
