Ventura County Behavioral Health recently updated some of their important online resources. Marijuana FactCheck and Vaping FactCheck VC are now under the umbrella of Cannabis FactCheck, a website that focuses on "what you need to know about teen cannabis use and vaping." (The Spanish version of the website can be found at Datos Marihuana.)

Cannabis FactCheck provides teens,...

Essay and artwork by a BRITE youth spokesperson.

I have never been pressured to vape before.     

I am lucky enough to say that I was raised in a household where my mom was always making sure I was safe and happy. However, I know this isn’t the case for many others.  

Vaping has always been a prevalent problem at my school and community. So often I would...

By Kai Yi Wang, a BRITE youth spokesperson.

“I’m gonna hang out with a few friends this Friday and smoke a little weed.”

I ignored him, working on my global paper in front of me, mumbling to myself about what I would write. I never really paid much attention to comments like these because jokes about drugs and sex were rampant at school. Despite only being in the 8th grade, it...

The following poem was written by our weekly writing group, The Green Walls Writer’s Project, in Zoom. Each person wrote a sentence about vaping and then we put them all together to form a powerful poem. 

I want to hold those sleek cool modern devices in my hand and seek comfort from the vapors

My breath becomes short as I inhale; small nails running down the length of my esophagus

A...

Written by Sofia Noriega, a Ventura County high school student.

Vaping can bring out the worst in you

It can turn your world around

Thinking that’s the only solution

For you to deal with problems

But it’s just causing addiction

And leading to bigger problems in the future.

Imagine your lungs,

Your heart,

Every organ in your body 

Keeping you alive, 

Only til you...

Every year, Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE), Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), BRITE, and Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) collaborate to produce a conference for Ventura County youth about tobacco use prevention education called Teens Kick Ash. In March 2020, the focus was on vaping prevention and cannabis education. Workshops included Cannabis – True or False, Media,...

Did you know? Answer these questions about vaping.

Let’s test your knowledge:

1. True or False: It is just water vapor in vapes.
2. True or False: The liquid in vapes does not contain any harmful chemicals.
3. True or False: Vaping helps people quit smoking tobacco.

To take our full Marijuana Vape Quiz, click here. 

What is vaping?

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the...

We recently had the pleasure of working with students from CSUCI’s Service Learning program. Some of those students conducted surveys about attitudes around marijuana, vaping, and alcohol in both Ventura and Los Angeles. Here are the questions and responses. 

• How do you feel about marijuana? 

• How do you feel about vaping?

• How do you feel about alcohol? 

• (For...

E-cigarettes have exploded in popularity in the past couple of years, causing an epidemic of youth use across the country. Despite claims of how “safe” they are by those selling them, they’re putting people into emergency rooms and hospitals across the nation. As of August 30th, one person has died and more than 200 cases of vaping-related lung illnesses have been reported,...

This information was originally published on Marijuana Factcheck, a project of Ventura County Behavioral Health. From their website: 

Everyone wants to make the best and most informed decisions they can, for themselves and their families. But decisions can only be as good as the facts they are based upon.

We’ve been hearing from a lot of people who would like to see a clear,...

This post was written by a CSUCI student. 

E-cigarettes, vape pens, and JUULs have become a popular trend among high school students because of their sleek designs, multiple flavors, and the fact that they are easy to hide from parents and teachers. Even adults are getting into this trend because these devices are often marketed as a safe alternative to smoking, even though there is no...

This poem was written by Karen Gonzalez, a student at CSU Channel Islands.

It’s really easy to get lost in the mist 

All the sweet flavors just come in a twist

Just to become popular 

It all becomes a blur

Needing to be accepted 

Not knowing that you’re being affected

Getting lost in the crowd 

Only exhaling clouds

“It’s not as bad as...