BOZEMAN, Mont. — According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, e-cigarette use increased by 78 percent among teenagers from 2017 to 2018.
Vaping-related lung illnesses are popping up in multiple states across the country, and are now being blamed for seven deaths.
While the Center for Disease Control found that Montana is tied with South Dakota for the 11th lowest usage rate in the United States, school resource officers in Bozeman acknowledge teen vaping is widespread and common.
“It's probably the crime that we deal with the most. It's up there at the top,” said Sargent Richardson with the Bozeman Police.
“We do deal with it. We write tickets for it quite a bit.”
Bozeman school resource officers say they are working to take preventative steps to fight teen vaping by giving more presentations about the health risks.
They plan to start giving presentations to younger students in effort to get ahead of the issue.
