The program “This is Quitting” is expanding by launching an anonymous texting system catered for teenagers and young adults in New York state to help quit vaping.

“Drop The Vape” is a free text-based service for teenagers aged 13 to 17 and for young adults aged 18 to 24 to quit the use of e-cigarettes. The program is provided by the New York State Department of Health.

The program was developed by Truth Initiative with input from teenagers, college students and young adults who have attempted to or successfully quit vaping. The messages show the benefits and challenges of quitting, to help young people feel motivated and supported throughout the process of quitting. 

People enrolled in the service receive interactive daily text messages tailored to their target or set quitting date. These messages include encouragement, motivation, tips, self-efficacy building exercises and coping strategies.

The program also directs users to the New York State Quitline, which provides free and confidential coaching for people who want to quit vaping or smoking, as well as free starter kits of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to eligible New York state residents to help them break their dependence on smoking or vaping tobacco.

According to Kristen Richardson, the director of the Central New York Regional Center for Tobacco Health Systems, most teenagers and young adults who smoke or use e-cigarettes actually do want to quit.

According to Kristen Richardson, the director of the Central New York Regional Center for Tobacco Health Systems, most teenagers and young adults who smoke or use e-cigarettes actually do want to quit.

“I often hear that those who smoke or vape don’t really want to quit and that is simply not the case,” Richardson said. “We know that quitting smoking or vaping is hard, but smokers can increase their chances of success with help.” 

In 2020, New York state prohibited the sale of flavored nicotine vapor products, but exempted vape products that received a Premarket Tobacco Product Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Some companies have moved just beyond the reach of the FDA by swapping out one key ingredient,” Richardson said. “They have circumvented federal oversight of tobacco plant-derived nicotine by using an unregulated synthetic version. Sales are rising of flavored e-cigarettes using synthetic nicotine that currently evades regulatory oversight.”

According to Danielle O’Brien, the coordinator of the Central New York Regional Center for Tobacco Health Systems, vaping can be very dangerous and can cause a variety of effects to many parts of the body.

“Vaping can damage a developing brain and cause mental distress, such as depression, anxiety, restlessness, attention deficit and mood swings,” O’Brien said. “Other physical side effects of vaping include increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, damage to the lungs (raises the risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD, asthma, cancer), blood vessel damage, increased blood pressure (raises the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart disease), chest pain, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, weakened immune system (making a user more susceptible to illnesses).”

Although New York state prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to any individual under 21, teenagers are still able to access vapes very easily.

“We often hear that teenagers are getting them from peers in school, older family members, ordering them online and walking into smoke shops to purchase them,” O’Brien said.

The most recent data available from the New York State Youth Tobacco Survey indicates that in 2022, 20.8% of high school students used tobacco products, meaning that one in five of them presently use tobacco products, primarily e-cigarettes. 

Additionally, there is a disproportionately high rate of tobacco use among several populations, including the LGBT community, those with mental health issues, those who live with disabilities, those with less than a high school education and those making less than $25,000 annually.

Truth Initiative has helped more than 600,000 national teenagers and young adults on their journey to quit vaping. New Yorkers aged 13 to 24 who want to stop vaping can enroll in the free and anonymous text messaging program by texting “DropTheVape” to 88709.

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