Jacksonville launches campaign to discourage teens from vaping

FILE (AP Photo/Marshall Ritzel, File) (Marshall Ritzel, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry on Tuesday announced the launch of a campaign that aims to discourage young people from vaping.

The campaign is a public-private partnership between the city and Daily’s convenience store chain. Curry said the city invested $100,000 in the campaign and private donors added another $100,000.

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“This is a really important issue,” Curry said during a Tuesday morning press conference. “And this isn’t about shaming young people. This isn’t about putting them down. This is about understanding why they’re choosing to use this for whatever stress and experience they’re having and helping them to understand the real dangers and risks associated with this.”

Curry cited a study that found that 27.5% of high school students and 10.5% of middle school students have used e-cigarettes.

“As a father of three kids in middle and high schools, this hits particularly close to home,” he said.

The campaign will include a series of commercials, advertisements and other communications throughout the community with the goal of reducing the use of vaping products among young people.

For more information and resources, visit VapingGetsUgly.com.