In 2023, Tennessee's high school vaping rate was 21.6%, more than double the national average of 10%. While national youth vaping rates have declined since 2019, Tennessee's rates have remained stable, with some surveys indicating an increase in high school students' use of vapor products, especially since Covid 19. A key factor was the popularity of products like JUUL, leading to surges in youth vaping between 2017 and 2019. Today, educators both find themselves in a position to educate our youth about these products and to discipline their students for violation of anti-vaping policies.

Recently, a Tennessee Department of Education survey showed an increase in high school students using vapor products since 2023, even as overall tobacco use declined nationally. Youth vaping rates in Tennessee saw a dip in 2017, coinciding with the implementation of the Deeming Rule, but surged again from 2017 to 2019. Some districts, like the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS), are seeing a rise in vaping and are trying current ideas such as installing "smart" sensors in school bathrooms to detect vaping.

 Principals have requested training on vaping, nicotine and THC products and student use in schools, and how to bridge the needs of students or cessation supports with the requirements under the law. This continuation of our previous study on this topic will address the danger of synthetic nicotine, the danger of synthetic THC, the Vape Culture, and current drug trends affecting our communities and our students. The presenters will offer us awareness of the process to reach and impact student behavior, and we will hear from Bradley County and Cleveland City as they share their approach to combating this problem.

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