This is the third in a series of informational community events on substance use awareness and education. The panel presentation will shed light on the reality of vaping and e-cigarettes. With the startling increases in the number of adolescents using vaping/e-cigarette products, this program is a response to public sentiment about the urgency of addressing the issue through awareness and education. This program aims to reach adolescents, their parents and adults who care about them, as well as educators and professionals in social services, behavioral health and medicine. 

Local community members have voiced a desire for more knowledge about what e-cigarettes look like, where and how they are obtained, what physical and psychological effects they have and how addictive they are.  Panelists will address these issues, as well as options for helping adolescents who are already using these products. The panel includes pediatrician Dr. Safdar Medina of UMass Memorial Health Care, as well as Mr. Jason Verhoosky, director of Wayland Youth and Family Services and expert in the area of substance abuse prevention.