Councilman Terence McSweeney spoke about Town of Babylon initiatives and Councilwoman Jackie Gordon spoke about her experiences as an educator as they presented “The Truth About Vaping, Marijuana Use and Alcohol” in partnership with Bethel AME Church of Copiague and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Suffolk County Chapter. Parents and teens were presented with facts about the dangers of such usage, especially at an early age, what’s in the vaping liquids, how the youth are being targeted as part of the marketing strategies and the long term effects of marijuana and alcohol.
Speakers included Evelyn Garcia, Prevention Coordinator, Hope for Youth, Steve Chassman, Executive Director of LICADD, Judith Montauban, American Lung Association, Sgt. Ken McHugh, 1st Precinct SCPD and Silys Whyte, MD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a survey that found that about 1 in 3 high school students and about 1 in 8 middle school students are current tobacco users. They also report that e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among high school and middle school students, six years in a row.
