Letter: Get Information About Dangers of Youth Vaping

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To the Editor:

The start of the school year and new routines brings new worries about teen vaping. These concerns are important, especially now, because smoking and vaping may put people at higher risk of complications from COVID-19.

One in three Massachusetts teens vape and talking with young people about the dangers of vaping can make a difference. Learn more and watch videos at GetOutraged.org, part of a public information campaign from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Get Outraged! aims to spread the word that vaping products contain nicotine, can damage a teen's developing brain, and are addictive. The campaign also shares tips on talking with kids about vaping and resources to help them quit.

Get Outraged! complements "Facts. No Filters." a campaign with videos and information about vaping for youth at mass.gov/vaping by the Department of Public Health in collaboration with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.

In addition, handouts about vaping and quit resource cards for youth are available free of charge at the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse.

For more information and to help you educate young people about vaping, contact Joyce Brewer at the Berkshire Tobacco-Free Community Partnership, jbrewer@berkshireahec.org
 

Joyce Brewer
Dalton, Mass.

Joyce Brewer is the program manager for the Berkshire Tobacco Free Community Partnership of Berkshire AHEC.

 

 

 


Tags: childrens health,   letters to the editor,   vaping,   


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North Adams Residents Urged to Return Census

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City residents are being warned of the consequences of not completing the census — their voting status will be deemed inactive. 
 
"We currently have just about 5,000 returns, and we really need to get people to return their census," said City Clerk Tina Leonesio at Tuesday's City Council meeting. "We have over 10,000 voters in the system."
 
She reminded audience members that the state mandates that they return their census forms. 
 
Massachusetts is the only state that conducts an annual street listing to determine who and how many people are living in each community. It requires boards of registrars in municipalities of 5,000 or more people to create lists of all persons age 17 and older by street or alphabetically.
 
These lists are used for updating voter rolls, calling up juries, confirming numbers for services such as veterans benefits and schools, and proof of residency for colleges and universities.  
 
This year, anyone who hasn't returned their form by June 1, will be placed on the inactive voter list. 
 
"Which means, come voting time, they're going to have to come up to the table, they're going to have to fill out forms, show that they're still living in the where they were living, and then go vote," said Leonesio. "It's going to be so much easier if people just turn in their census."
 
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