Happy Flag Day – June 14, 2024

 

Flag Day is celebrated each year on June 14 to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the American Flag by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. Records indicate that the inspiration for the flag we call "Stars and Stripes" was designed by Betsy Ross, also believe to have sewn the first flag. 

There have been 27 variations in flag design over the years as the colonies grew into the 50 states represented on today's flag. According to the National Flag Foundation, there is a white star sewn into a blue background representing each state. The star represents justice, perseverance, and vigilance. Blue in the background represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice.💙 As for the other colors, red stripes are for valor and white stripes are for purity and innocence. 

The American Flag is the living symbol of our great nation. Its care is essential to honor our country's past, present, and future. The National Flag Foundation outlines respectful flag etiquette, which is the responsibility of every American.🫡

Learn to properly display a flag,
general care, dispose of a worn flag & more

 https://nationalflagfoundation.org/etiquette/

In The News: Congress Calls for a Crackdown on Illegal E-Cigs

 

New numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that more than 2 million middle and high school students use e-cigarettes and 1-in-4 young people admit to using tobacco products daily. Congress is taking a deep drive into the growing epidemic spurred by anti-tobacco activists adn teens who want to kick the e-cig habit. They are calling for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Justice Department to crack down on illegal e-cigarettes, according to an ABC News Report on June 13, 2024.🚬

High school student, Josie Shapiro, shared her struggles with e-cigs and nicotine directly with Congress urging lawmakers to ban all flavored tobacco products, “The first vape that I ever tried was a blueberry ice and I was 13 years old. I have tried to quit many times but it is hard because it’s everywhere. My friends started with vapes, the flavored tobacco products, and transformed into other drug use because it’s a gateway.”

Adding to the conversation, Senator Dick Durban of Illinois said, “If they could just hook a child at a young age, they have a customer for life. Twenty-three e-cigarette brands have been authorized for sale in the U.S., yet there are more than 6,000 e-cigarette brands on the market today.”

Leaders for the vaping technology association agreed that teens should not be using these products but they argued that Congress should consider tougher and stronger restrictions for marketing.🚭

The FDA says it has a system in place to review what is in the e-cigs that come from abroad but it is overwhelmed by a backlog of millions of applications submitted by vape companies seeking U.S. approval for their products. FDA Tobacco Chief, Dr. Brian King, said that they are making progress on reviewing the applications but more regulators and resources are needed.

This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Justice Department pledged more cooperation on this issue. They announced formation of a new task force to target illegal sales and distribution of e-cigarettes. FDA Tobacco Chief Dr. King shared, “We participated in a landmark joint operation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection resulting in the seizure of more than $18 million worth of unauthorized e-cigarettes.” The FDA also says it has issued more than 1,100 warnings to manufacturers and retailers for illegally selling unauthorized tobacco products.

Use of tobacco products in any form by youth is dangerous and addictive. We all need to work together on this issue to regulate, educate, and protect America’s youth from e-cigarettes, vaping, and other nicotine-laced products.

View the News Report

https://www.news10.com/washington/washington-dc/senators-grill-fda-about-vaping/

Link to CDC Report – November 2023

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/s1102-e-cigarettes-down.html

Is There Such a Thing as Healthy Risk Taking?

 

Yes! There are benefits of healthy risk taking that include trying new things, accepting challenges, and venturing into the unknown. Teens may engage in risk taking behaviors to find out who they are but it can be challenging for them to express themselves in a safe way. By guiding children toward healthy challenges, parents can help kids satisfy their natural desire for risk taking, avoid negative outcomes, and bolster confidence and leadership skills.💪

The Partnership to End Addiction reminds us that taking risks is a natural part of teens’ identity and development. It provides opportunities to learn new things and explore boundaries. Key is for risks to be healthy ones that will help kids gain confidence and practice problem-solving, decision-making, and resilience – important skills they’ll need in life. 

Take the example of learning to ride a bike 🚴…besides the chance of falling and getting a skinned knee, it’s a healthy risk worth the reward of enjoyment, exercise, and freedom that comes along with bike riding. Other healthy risk-taking examples may be riding a roller coaster, indoor rock climbing, trying out for a team or school play, even making new friends.🙌

Brainstorming with kids can help direct their interests toward exciting and healthy activities. Ask questions like: what makes you the happiest? – what’s the most exciting thing you can imagine doing? – if you had a day to do whatever you want, what would you do? 

Identify whether your child’s interests are physical – like sports, creative – like drawing or learning to play a musical instrument, or emotional – like volunteering at an animal shelter or community service organization.

Is your child into sports, academics, animals, aviation, fishing, cooking, dance, horseback riding, martial arts, space, arts, nature, music, STEM, video games, watersports, swimming? Help them find outlets to explore activities that match their interests. 🎨🚀🏊

Summer Camps offer a perfect opportunity for kids to give these activities a try. Over 100 summer camp options are offered in our area and are listed in Lakeland Mom’s Summer Camp Guide for Lakeland + Polk County: https://lakelandmom.com/summer-camp-directory/

Encourage your kids to give new learning experiences a try, even if they may be hesitant. Let them know that there's everything to gain and nothing to lose - either way, it can be a valuable learning experience and there's always other activities to explore if the first one doesn't work out. Talk about your own healthy risk taking and share the rewards or failures so kids will know trial & error is a normal part of finding what works best for us all!

Learn More About Healthy Risk Taking

https://drugfree.org/article/healthy-risk-taking/

UthMpact Leadership Class XIV Off to a Great Start!

 

UthMpact Leadership Class XIV's new executive board members came together for their UthMpact Leadership Retreat on June 2-4 at Anna Maria Island. Student leaders were provided with valuable opportunities to practice public speaking and learn how to run a professional meeting with Patrick Grady. Time was also spent planning the busy agenda for the year ahead and creating small group banners. 

It was an enjoyable learning experience that included yummy food, fun karaoke, and just dance moves, topped off by beach activities that helped the teens form friendships and bond as a group! 

FDA Reverses Marketing Ban on Juul Vaping Products

 

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reversed its marketing ban on Juul Labs, one of the country's top e-cigarette companies. When the FDA issued the ban in 2022, officials cited the role played by Juul in increasing tobacco use among youth. Critics accused Juul of using colorful packaging and a variety of flavors, along with a sleek design resembling a USB flash drive, to market vaping products with high concentrations of nicotine to children and teens.

All e-cigarette products are required to have FDA authorization to be legally marketed. At the time of the ban, the FDA stated that Juul's applications did not include "sufficient evidence" to show marketing of the products met public health standards required by law. It also noted potentially harmful chemicals leaching from e-liquid pods. 

In the recent June 6 statement, officials explained "recission of the marketing denial order is not an authorization or a denial and does not indicate whether the applications are likely to be authorized or denied. Applications will be returned to pending status under further review by the FDA." The statement can be viewed at:  https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/update-fdas-scientific-review-juul-product-applications

Reaction to reversal of the Juul vaping products ban hasn't been favorable. The American Lung Association said it was "deeply troubled" and urged the FDA to deny Juul products stating they "do not meet the standard for protecting public health" citing their role in the "youth e-cigarette epidemic from 2017-2019."

The 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey released in November found that tobacco use decreased among high school students and rose among middle schoolers. E-cigarettes remained the most popular product among youth for the 10th straight year. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), e-cigarette use among high school students declined from 14.1% to 10.0% from 2022 to 2023. Among middle school and high school students who currently use e-cigarettes, 25.2% used e-cigarettes daily and 89.4% used flavored e-cigarettes.

Bottom line: Research shows that use of tobacco products in any form by youth is dangerous, highly addictive, and harmful to health and brain development. Avoiding cigarettes and their electronic alternatives is always the healthiest choice. Learn the facts about e-cigarettes, vaping, and other nicotine-laced products. Visit the American Lung Association to view their Vaping Conversation Guide that provides a great framework to begin discussions with your children: https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/helping-teens-quit/talk-about-vaping

Today is National Iced Tea Day - Monday, June 10

 

According to National Calendar Day, Monday, June 10 is National Iced Tea Day to celebrate one of summer's favorite refreshing drinks. Iced tea is the second most popular beverage in the world following water, making up about 85% of all tea consumed.

The oldest tea dates back to about 453BC in Shandong, China.🫖Iced tea started to appear in the U.S. back in the 1860s-1870s when it was offered on beverage menus at hotels and on railroads. Iced Tea was also introduced at the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904. A tea merchant originally planned to serve hot tea but when a sudden heat wave popped up, ice was added to the brewed tea and people lined up to tase this wonderful new drink.🧋

Today, it is estimated that Americans consume nearly 50 billion glasses of tea per year. Whether you prefer sweet tea or unsweetened, add mint or lemon, plan to enjoy a tall glass of refreshing iced tea today! 

Resources to Support LGBTQ+ Youth

 

During Pride Month in June, the focus is on how to better support health and wellbeing for the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ youth may experience stress that their heterosexual peers do not. This can stem from concerns that family and friends will not accept them, harassment at school or in the workplace, or anti-LGBTQ+ legislation passed across the country.

Often, youth may turn to substance use as a way to cope with these stressors. Statistics from The Trevor Project show that in 2021, nearly half of LGBTQ+ youth under age 21 surveyed used alcohol in the past year. 

Families can best support their LGBTQ+ loved ones by making sure they know they are loved, accepted, and supported - no matter what. Try actively listening to their concerns and taking an interest in their life. Find affinity groups and other activities to connect them to the community. When help is needed, assist them in finding mental healthcare and treatment for substance use. These actions can help significantly decrease an LGBTQ+ teen's likelihood of substance use and improve their mental health.

Partnership to End Addiction offers helpful resources to learn more about 

how to be a stronger ally in support of loved ones in the LGBTQ+ community

https://drugfree.org/lgbtq-family-and-substance-use/