The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 68, No. 43 - October 24, 2019
Field Makeover for Morningside
The Los Angeles Rams recently refurbished the football field at Inglewood’s Morningside High School. Here is a look at the new and improved field. Photo: LA Rams
Vaping from front page
vapes to smoke tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise
known as THC, found in cannabis.
And, it can be vaped without being obvious
to the untrained eye. There is a black market
for vaping products that is contributing to
the health problems reported by physicians
and emergency room staff nationwide, the
CDC says. Juice bought on the street or from
family, friends, dealers or other informal
sources “are linked to most of the cases and
play a major role in the outbreak,” the CDC
announced this month.
Vaping is wildly popular with high school
students, some teens told the packed auditorium
of parents who came looking for
information about the smoking craze. Vapes,
as they are commonly known, are batterypowered
devices that heat a nicotine-infused
liquid called juice. When heated, the juice
forms a steamy white cloud that teens inhale.
Though it may look harmless, there is nicotine
and other chemicals in the wispy vapor.
A huge challenge for parents is how easy
it is for minors to buy vape products. Local
stores carry the popular flavored vape
juices and the battery-powered devices into
a breathable cloud. Because they are tobacco
products, clerks are required by law to verify
that a buyer is of age to buy e-cigarettes.
However, teens use online websites to bypass
the age restriction of 21 and older. And, online
advertising directs teens to these retail sites.
Teens who spoke at last week’s meeting
revealed that vape companies, including Juul,
reach their demographic using social media
and websites. They post online ads that feature
models who make e-cigarettes look and sound
glamorous, according to student volunteers
with the Beach Cities Health District. Teens
who post images of themselves vaping on
Snapchat and Instagram also perpetuate the
image that vaping is what friends do together.
When asked ahead of the town hall meeting
why teens use vapes, high schoolers from the
beach cities said they smoke for depression,
stress and peer pressure. The nicotine in the
smoke stimulates the brain and body when
ingested, but what follows is fatigue and
eventually addiction. Teens who vape for
two to three months start chasing that feeling
again, said Jennifer Harris who coordinates
tobacco and drug prevention in the South
Bay cities through the nonprofit Behavioral
Health Services in Gardena.
Vapes can be bought on eBay or borrowed,
so a teen can be smoking even if he or she
doesn’t own a pocket-sized pen, USB drive
or a lipstick tube, the young people said.
The heating elements are disguised as a
box of Altoids breath mints, a can of Coke,
car keys or an Apple watch. Parents should
especially be on the lookout for any Suorin
brand being carried by their child, Harris said.
”Suorin is really popular for people in the
South Bay,” Harris noted. “A lot of parents
don’t know that.” She also pointed out that
Suorin products are less expensive than Juul.
The Pax brand is used primarily for vaping
marijuana, another good tip for parents.
The makers of vapes are helping teens and
young adults conceal their habit by hiding
smoke-delivering tubing inside of hoodies
and backpacks, Harris revealed.
Vaping ads surprisingly show up on study
websites that students use, according to the
teen leaders with Beach Cities Health District.
There is some vaping that goes on during
school hours in the campus bathrooms, and
some of their peers said it makes students
uncomfortable to see it. However, peer pressure
prevents them from saying anything
negative to the students who are vaping or
reporting it to teachers or campus security.
Restricting access to vaping cartridges
and flavored juices is the most effective
way to reduce their use of e-cigarettes,
said Dr. Donnie Watson with the Thelma
McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug
Treatment at Torrance Memorial. He urges
parents to push back against the marketing
by tobacco companies to turn teens into
lifelong nicotine users.
The explosive 78 percent growth of e-cigarettes
between 2017 and 2018 can be attributed
to the marketing to minors, the speakers said.
Until the federal government regulates the
new-generation tobacco products, parents are
the first line of defense. “We’re 10 years behind
in this,” Dr. Watson told parents. “Be vigilant, just
hang in there. They [teens] need your support.”
Facts about vaping and teens are available
at the Beach Cities Health District website. •
Hawthorne Hotspot from page 3
by the Aztecs tribes in Mexico over 3,000
years ago. It was never meant to be scary or
for anyone to fear life after death. It’s actually
a celebration of life. The tradition itself meant
that families would visit the cemetery their
loved ones were buried in, and bring an array
of food and drinks that the person loved when
they were alive. It’s said that when families
visit their deceased relatives that it helps heal
them and send them over to the “other side.”
The fond memories that fill the night from
different families are what helps with the transition.
Growing up, I found the tradition to be
somewhat scary. I mean, who would want to go
to a cemetery at night? But as I grew older and
realized what it really meant, I began to cherish
the tradition. I was born on a very special day
for many people in my culture. Día de Los
Muertos is filled with beautiful decorations
ranging from traditional sweet bread and sugar
skulls to those colorful papeles picados I love
oh, so much. But it’s more than that. It is a day
when you can celebrate the lives of the ones you
loved the most, in a special way with family
and friends. I’m grateful to learn that Día de
Los Muertos isn’t meant to scare people, but
is a time for reflection and to appreciate the
people that we lost. If anyone is interested to
learn more about Dia de Los Muertos and has
Netflix, check out the animated cartoon Coco! •
Huber’s Hiccups from page 3
Why do pro athletes get involved with political
issues? Is there an answer to solving homelessness?
Why do the Dodgers always win their
division but never the world championship?
Why are we having so many earthquakes?
Why is gas $4 per gallon? Why does a shack
of a house in California cost $500k? Why are
we having so many wildfires? Why don’t I
ever get motivated to exercise more, eat less,
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listen to and love my old lady more, read my
bible more, sleep more, drink more cold ones,
care more for others and stop writing so much
gobbley goop on what seems like an endless
run of run on sentences that don’t amount to
a hill of beans? One last question: Why are
you still reading this crap?
– Norb’s email is: norbhuber@gmail.com •