30 November 2025
By Bailee Tucker – Bakersfieldnow
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — For years, smoking rates have steadily declined across the country, but while fewer teens are picking up cigarettes, many are turning to something else: vapes.
While some may believe the vapes are harmless, doctors disagree.
Dr. Dan Doyle has spent four decades treating patients with end-stage lung disease, black lung and COPD. He said vaping is especially dangerous for young people.
“It’s especially addictive for youth because the vapes have higher nicotine concentrations than the cigarettes do,” Doyle said.
According to studies from leading U.S. medical institutions like the Cleveland Clinic, vaping can cause lung disease, heart problems — and in severe cases — even death.
So why is it that teens are still vaping?
Doyle believes targeted marketing plays a major role.
“Marketing, industry marketing is extremely important,” he said. “It mostly comes through social media, using sports stars, movie stars to model how exciting and cool vaping is. And sure, home environment is a factor.”
That availability isn’t just coming from friends or family, but vape shops, too.
Law enforcement across West Virginia has been cracking down. In Putnam County, a recent sting led to multiple arrests and citations.
Sheriff Bobby Eggleton said deputies are also finding illegal, black-market products.
“We use THC test kits,” Eggleton said. “We’ve found numerous items exceeding the legal limit. We continue to see a lot of this stuff that’s coming in from out of the country and out of state.”
Eggleton said his office is working with Putnam County Schools to stop vaping inside school buildings and warning students that the consequences could follow them long after graduation.
“It’s something that will stick with you for the rest of your life,” he said.
Educators said vaping has been disrupting classrooms for close to a decade.
Julie Brumfield, a health teacher at Cabell Midland High School, said students once vaped regularly during class.
Bathroom rules had to change too, limiting how many students could go at once.
“They just pass it around, and they see nothing wrong with it,” Brumfield said.
She previously worked with RAZE, a statewide program focused on preventing youth tobacco use, but federal CDC funding cuts brought that program to a halt.
Now, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health has brought in “Catch My Breath,” an American Lung Association initiative designed for grades 5–12.
Laura Williams with the American Lung Association said students are eager to talk about the issue, but public health leaders are facing tough odds.
“They are fighting against the hundreds of millions of dollars that the tobacco industry spends advertising these products in our state every year,” Williams said.
Dr. Michael Kilkenny, CEO and Health Officer for the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, said they’re working to educate students directly.
What concerns him most is the perception that vaping is harmless.
“Students see that smoking is a very high-risk behavior, but] they do not see that same risk for vaping,” Kilkenny said. “The unknown part of this concerns me more than the known part.”
Del. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason, said lawmakers are hearing from educators and parents nearly every week.
He plans to introduce new legislation in the upcoming session targeting illegal sales and increasing penalties.
“This is an issue that is facing West Virginia children and teenagers,” Pinson said.
West Virginia taxes vape liquids at 7.5 cents per milliliter; far lower than cigarette taxes, which add more than $1 per pack.
Kilkenny believes raising the tax could reduce youth use.
“Increasing taxes on these products reduces their use,” he said. “Increase the cost of it, [and it] reduces the use.”
Health leaders, law enforcement and lawmakers all agree: teen vaping remains a growing problem.
While prevention efforts are underway inside classrooms, courtrooms and community programs, many believe more action is needed to protect young people from long-term addiction and health consequences.
For more resources, check out the Catch My Breath website and the Cabell Huntington Health Department’s website.