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Mooresville High School community meets over issues of vaping, e-cigs

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — The U.S. surgeon general calls vaping among teens an epidemic.

Mooresville High School parents, students and staff discussed issues with vaping and e-cigarettes during a meeting in the school's auditorium Thursday.

A local doctor said he believes e-cigarettes are becoming so popular with teenagers because of the flavor and the discreet appearance.

District officials said they've seen the number of students receiving disciplinary referrals for vaping grow from less than 10 last school year to close to 70 already this year.

"I did it because of peer pressure, and it seemed cool because everyone else was doing it,” student Isaiah Radillo said.

[Action 9: New study shows more teens are vaping]

Mooresville High School has more than 1,900 students, and this year, administrators say there have been no issues with cigarettes or chewing tobacco. The biggest problem, school officials say, is vaping and e-cigarettes.

"I tried it once at school, and it got more addictive,” Radillo said.

On Thursday, a panel of experts talked about the dangerous impact of that nicotine addiction and the chance that other ingredients, like marijuana, could also be used when teenagers vape.

"I want them to realize what they're putting in their bodies,” said Susan Johnson, who is a school nurse in a neighboring county.

Johnson said what she learned will be useful going forward.

"Now that I'm hearing about all this, I'm thinking that maybe I have seen some nicotine addiction among students in the school."

Studies show that trend can become addictive and impact students’ learning and behavior.

Lennon Mae, a clinician at a Huntersville testing lab, said he sees at least 10 students a week who come in with their parents saying they want their child tested.

"They're recognizing that their students are experimenting, and so they are coming in to find out if in fact they are using nicotine-filled vapes or if they are vaping at all, because it shouldn't be allowed for kids because it affects brain development, learning and so on,” Mae said.

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