TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Florida A&M University’s Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative, known as MMERI, is receiving national recognition for its work to address youth vaping.
MMERI created the Youth Vaping Education and Empowerment Initiative and saw the impact vaping was having on young people in rural, suburban and urban communities.
MMERI Executive Director G.P. Mendie said the program has heard from children, families, school staff and law enforcement about vaping, including cases involving children as young as third grade.
“Kids are in the formative age and almost everything kids consume impacts their brain development,” Mendie said.
Mendie also warned about the long-term health consequences of vaping. According to Mendie, the cartridges contain carcinogens that can be dangerous when inhaled.
“A kid who is as young as 14 who has been vaping has got the lungs of someone who has been smoking for 30, 40 years, he said. ”That’s not normal.”
The National Food and Drug Administration recognized the initiative and awarded the program.
The program teaches young people about the risks of vaping while giving parents, educators and community leaders tools to help prevent it.
MMERI leaders said the initiative is part of its broader effort to provide education and resources to communities and school districts across Florida.
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