The Tribune

Dear Editor,

I write as a concerned grandparent living red here in Nassau, deeply worried about the rise of vaping among our young people.

As grandparents, we have lived long enough to see fashions come and go, from bell bottoms to skinny legs, but this vaping trend is different. This is not fashion. It is addiction.

I remember the 1980s and 1990s when crack cocaine almost wiped out a generation of young Bahamian men and women. I watched families torn apart, young lives lost, and whole communities left broken. As a nation, we said, “never again.”

I see the same pattern now — a highly addictive substance, marketed to our youth, being normalized before we understand the full damage. While vaping is not the same as crack, addiction is addiction, and history teaches us that when we ignore the early warning signs, we pay a heavy price.

Today, bright, sweet-smelling vapes that look like highlighters are being sold as harmless. They are not harmless. Most contain high levels of nicotine, a highly addictive drug. A single pod can equal a full pack of 20 cigarettes. Our children are getting hooked fast, often without understanding what is happening to them.

I see the changes with my own eyes. Young people who were once focused and full of energy are now anxious, irritable, and unable to sit through class without needing to vape. Young employees on the job are hiding in the restrooms to vape. Parents tell me their children cannot sleep, cannot concentrate on their B.J.C.s and B.G.C.S.E.s, and are spending lunch money on pods.

The health consequences are real. Vaping inflames and damages the lungs, causing persistent coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and a higher risk of illness.

In the United States, about 5% of schoolchildren now vape, down from 20% at the peak, but here in The Bahamas we are seeing the numbers rise as these cheap, flavored vapes flood our corner stores.

God gave us fresh Bahamian sea air to breathe. Why are we letting our children fill their lungs with chemicals?

As a grandparent, what worries me most is the brain. A child’s brain continues developing into their mid-20s. Nicotine damages memory, learning, focus, and decision-making. It increases anxiety and depression. These are the years they need to be sharp and on their game.

To our youth, I say as your grandma and grandpa: You are worth more than a vape cloud. You are our pride, our future doctors, teachers, fishermen, and more. Please, do not let a company that does not know your name or love you steal your health and your future. Choose life. Breathe free.wqw

To other grandparents, parents, teachers, and pastors: Let us talk to our children with love, not just scolding. We have been down the road of addiction before in this country. Let us act early this time.

With love and concern for our islands,

God protect our youth

God bless the Bahamas

Anthony Pratt

A Concerned Grandparent

Victoria Boulevard

East Street South

Nassau, Bahamas