TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Usage) is an organization in Lexington, Kentucky, that fights the use of tobacco among children in our city. Dozens of Student Council members have signed up to help fight for this urgent cause.

Various Elementary and Middle schools across the county will receive both this TATU training and helpful information on how to say no to peer-pressure regarding cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The state of Kentucky has the lowest age where children start smoking, at about eleven years old.

E-Cigarettes are very dangerous for anybody especially people under the age of 25. Until the point of your 25th birthday, your prefrontal cortex is still developing. Vaping and smoking stop the development of this part of your brain which will cause brain problems and low IQ down the road.

The “juice” produced for vaping almost never has the same ingredients in it, even the FDA can’t regulate this production. The vape “juice” is also terrible for your lungs and it destroys lung cells. While vaping is a huge problem in our schools, surprisingly so is the smoking of cigarettes. Cigarettes ruin peoples lives daily and this is no different for children and teens. According to the CDC, 4.7 million children and teens use at least one tobacco product. To end this pressing issue it will take a lot more than just TATU, more people need to say no.