Enlightening Facts about E-Cigarettes

 It was a riveting subject for the Sayville Middle School students in Mrs. Jodi Maurici’s health classes thanks to a presentation given by Suffolk County Health Department Educator Bonnie Anderson.  ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) has been marketed both to children as “safe alternatives to regular cigarettes” and to smokers who want to quit traditional tobacco products, but this, Ms. Anderson demonstrated, could not be further from the truth because there are NO LONG-TERM studies to prove these claims.

The presentation at the Sayville Middle School was arranged by the school’s Student Assistance Counselor Paul Simonsen. By design it incorporated the assistance of two Sayville High School Leadership Seniors, Emma Cannetti and Caity Severin, who addressed the students directly, defining what ENDS are and how ENDS are marketed to children as “replacement smokers.”  Having older students participate in the presentation left a big impression on the younger students. 

The seventh graders learned that customers who no longer use tobacco products over concerns about tobacco-related deaths or who have quit smoking are being misguided by this false advertising. To show they understood that E-cigarettes were not a replacement,  the seventh graders ended their lesson by filling in pre-printed sheets stating they are “Not a Replacement” and  were asked to define who they were ( I am a… “brother, sister, athlete, student, hockey player”…)

“My students were shocked to hear the realities behind these items,” Mrs. Maurici remarked. She hoped  the students would share what they learned with their parents, “as many of them are also unaware of the dangers.”

High School Leadership Advisor Mrs. Kahan also praised her charges, Emma Cannetti and Caity Severin. “The girls did a FABULOUS job!”