Today, my heart is heavy for our world. I suspect many of you have heavy hearts too, but for different reasons. My heart hurts for the State of Our Nation; our people, young and older, senior citizens, those in authority and their responsibilities, manufacturing, distilleries, pharmaceuticals, tabloids, newspapers, film industries, ships, waterways, railways and cargo, airports, airlines, the seas, rivers and oceans, all merchandising: you guessed it: “My heart is heavy for our world.” When I first saw the television advertisements of e-cigarettes and vaping (some years ago). I wondered…how is it they’re getting away with this? If not on TV, the memory is stamped in my mind. Have you noticed the alcohol advertisements even during the sports times when many young people are watching!? As if we don’t have enough to deal with in training up our young, here they come with vaping and electronic(e)-cigarettes. An outbreak of vaping-related deaths in the US has been described as a public health crisis. At least 39 people have died and more than 2,000 have suffered lung injuries from vaping-related illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CenterDiseaseControl).
Many countries have banned or called emergency orders or restrictions on vaping. For example: India, Thailand, Mexico. In the U.S. New York and Michigan have imposed bans on flavored vape products. In the US, there is a possible developing plan to ban flavored e-cigarettes. (Independent.co.uk/infact/vaping-deaths) The number of e-cigarette brands sold on the internet is large; the variety of flavors staggering; more than 460 brands and 7,700 flavors. As of June 2019: states or districts where recreational use of marijuana is legal are (partial list): Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois (marijuana legalization bill signed in June 2019😉 sales for recreation marijuana begin around January(?) Maine. Alabama: fully illegal; medicinal: restricted use and no decriminalization: www.webmd.com Our young people face numerous temptations and the manufacturers are faced with a conscience to be responsible or not responsible for jeopardizing the lives of young people. California state lawmakers legalized the recreational use of marijuana with the passage of Proposition 64, making it the largest state to legalize pot: www.thoughtco.com/states. https://www.childrensdefense.org/…/uploads/2019/05/2017-Child-and-Teen-Gun-Deaths.pdf)
A Guns: gun in the home increases the risk of homicide, suicide and accidental death. Contrary to popular belief, having a gun in the home endangers children and loved ones more often than it protects them. A gun in the home makes the likelihood of homicide three times higher, suicide three to five times higher, and accidental death four times higher. For each time a gun in the home is used in self-defense, there are 11 completed and attempted gun suicides, seven criminal assaults and homicides with guns, and four unintentional gun deaths or injuries. More than half of youth who committed suicide with a gun obtained the gun from their home, usually a parent’s gun. Child and teen gun death rates remain higher than in the early 1960s. In 2017, the child and teen gun death rate was 72 percent higher than in 1963 when data were first collected. from all states. Between 1963 and 2017, 67,421 Black children and teens were killed by guns. [one is too many] Black children and teens:disproportionately affected by gun violence. In 2017, Black children and teens made up 14 percent of the child and teen population but 41 percent of all child and teen gun deaths. 1,397 Black children and teens were killed with guns in 2017, nearly four each day. The gun death rate for Black children and teens: nearly four times that for White children and teens: more than 10 times that for Asian and Pacific Islander children and teens. 86 percent of Black child and teen gun deaths were homicides. 70 percent of White child and teen gun deaths were suicides. Ask Dr. Jeanette Parker™
www.AskDrJeanetteParker.com; Articles copyright © Inquiring Minds Want To Know; Jeanette Parker is Founder/Superintendent of Today’s Fresh Start Charter School www.todaysfreshstart.org [email protected] thanks for reading
