205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Health Educator, 509-962-7515 healthpromotion@co.kittitas.wa.us
Quitting smoking and vaping can greatly increase your health and help improve your quality of life. The Kittitas County Public Health Department provides information and resources to the public to increase their ability to pursue healthy lives. This includes education, promotion, and providing resources to help those who want to quit smoking. We also work to prevent youth from starting smoking or vaping and reduce secondhand smoke and vapors in homes and our community.
Since 2016, e-cigarettes and vaping products have surged in popularity, despite the recent outbreaks of severe pulmonary disease related to e-cigarette use. Learn more on the CDC website. Electronic cigarette/vapor products have skyrocketed in popularity and are being marketed to youth, which is leading another generation into becoming addicted to nicotine.
Electronic smoking devices or e-cigarettes are battery operated devices used to inhale a vaporized liquid solution. These liquids frequently contain nicotine, as well as flavorings and other chemicals. Due to the liquid solution being converted into an aerosol vapor, e-cigarette use is often referred to as "vaping," instead of smoking. While e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, they often contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. The liquid solution that turns to vapor contains ultrafine particles, volatile organic compounds, flavorings that have been linked to lung disease and heavy metals like nickel, tin and lead.
Vapor products are the most commonly used nicotine product by youth. The Food and Drug Administration reports that e-cigarette use has increased in high school students by 78% between 2017 and 2018. In Kittitas County, 26% of 10th graders reported using a vapor product in the last 30 days. See Healthy Youth Survey Our brains continue to develop until around the age of 25 so it is especially important to talk with your children about the risks of using e-cigarettes or other substances that can affect development. Nicotine in e-cigarettes can harm a developing brain by interfering with memory, attention and learning. Young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to begin to smoke traditional cigarettes.
Beginning January 1, 2020, the legal age to purchase tobacco and vapor products will be 21 years old. See Washington State Department of Health’s Tobacco 21 page for more information. Individuals under 21 are particularly vulnerable to the effects of nicotine addiction and most people who begin to smoke do so before age 21. For those who vape, there is an increased risk of initiating cigarette smoking.
On October 10, 2019 the Washington State Board of Health approved a 120-day emergency ban on Flavored Vapor Products. There is evidence that banning flavors that appeal to a younger population will decrease initiation of use of vaping products. The ban includes flavored vaping products as well as those intended for marijuana use.
Smoke-free policies that include e-cigarettes can help reduce secondhand exposure to harmful and potentially harmful substances. Policies also have the potential to reduce the social acceptability of tobacco product use, help promote smoking cessation and support efforts to decrease smoking initiation among youth.
E-cigarettes have not been proven by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help current smokers quit smoking traditional cigarettes. Washingtonians can get free help to quit smoking or vaping by contacting the Washington State Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or by accessing a smartphone app at Quit.
Washington State alone sees high rates of tobacco use. This table represents the use of the population in Washington State.
Adult tobacco users892,000 Youth tobacco users49,000 6th graders who smoke1% 8th graders who smoke5% 10th graders who smoke10% 12th graders who smoke16%
E-cigarettes have not been proven by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help current smokers quit smoking traditional cigarettes. There are multiple free resources in the State of Washington to help you quit and professionals to help you find the best fit to meet your needs.
