High school vaping

Morse High School has a problem. The 2023 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey reports that almost 20% of Morse students have vaped in the last 30 days. That is nearly 150 children addicted, or at risk of being addicted, to nicotine. This problem is not unique to the Morse. I recently spoke with Jamie Dorr of the Midcoast Youth Center and Charles Reece, Morse’s school resource officer. They say that kids in our area start using tobacco as young as 10 years old. They are addicted before they even graduate middle school.

How do so many children this young withstand the harsh taste and feel of tobacco? The answer is simple. They don’t. Flavors like menthol, strawberry, and gummy bear turn one of the world’s most addictive substances into candy. Without these sweet masking agents, kids would not be using tobacco in such enormous numbers. Tobacco companies know this, and market flavored products exclusively for and directly to children. 95% of adults who smoke first used tobacco before turning 21. 80% of them used a flavored product.

The impact of tobacco on children goes far, far beyond these statistics. As a senior at Morse, I see the reality of nicotine addiction every day. The increasing number of posters appearing in the hallway that warn against tobacco use. My classmates “using the restroom” for 10 minutes at a time every day. The fruity flavors wafting through the hallways. Dozens of my peers failing classes, losing interest in sports, and ceasing to socialize as they became fixated on their next opportunity to vape.

We are trying to solve the problem from within. Our administrative team is doing their best to catch teens before they vape. The Midcoast Youth Center offers all the support and treatment they can. Schools throughout the RSU1 district have been running PSAs and educational programs for years that warn against tobacco use. Yet it is not enough.

These products are tiny and easily concealable. Unlike cigarettes, vaping does not leave an odor on clothing, making detection nearly impossible. Treatment centers are overwhelmed, and by the time many teens seek help, it is already too late. The state of Maine, let alone our school district, does not have the funds for educational programs that would match the $50 million that Big Tobacco uses on advertisements. We need help.

That is why I am urging Rep. Allison Hepler to vote “yes” on L.D. 1215, “An Act to End the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products in Maine.” Sen. Eloise Vitelli voted in support of this legislation when it passed in the Senate last year, and I hope that Rep. Hepler will follow her lead.

The support for this legislation goes far beyond Senator Vitelli and myself. More than 200 members of our community — teachers, students, police officers, elected officials, medical workers, concerned parents, and community organizers – recently signed a letter asking Rep. Hepler to vote yes on L.D. 1215. They all see the enormously negative impact that flavored tobacco is having on children. They all are asking for a change.

Yet so far, our cries for help have gone unanswered.

It is time to listen to the school administrators, students, teachers, public health officials, doctors, nurses, and environmental leaders who know that ending the sale of flavored tobacco is the right way forward. Flavors are the root of the problem. Critically limiting their availability will be the first, and one of the most important, steps towards combating the problem faced by Morse, and schools around the state.

That is why I, and hundreds of teens like me, are turning to our lawmakers. We need help. We need you to vote yes on L.D. 1215.

Noah D’Souza, Morse High School senior,
Arrowsic

Sheriff’s race

The announcement of Sheriff Joel Merry and Sgt. Aaron Skofield both running for sheriff should be troubling for all residents of Sagadahoc County. In light of the Lewiston Commission’s interim report, it is clear that a change in leadership needs to happen in this department from the top down. But that change is definitely not Skofield. The inaction of Skofield is not an isolated incident, it is his habit and Merry’s failure to address previous complaints in his department over the past several years is why we are here now. Neither man should be rewarded for failing to do their jobs. I hope and pray someone steps forward to challenge them, because Sagadahoc County deserves better.

Juanita Clark,
Phippsburg

America for sale?

America, wake up and realize, that Trump is using our country as his most profitable “for sale” piece of real estate, with Europe as its front lawn. His real estate agents, mostly GOP/MAGA sycophants and family members, are outperforming each other in the pursuit of their biggest commissions, and their beloved boss’ blessing.

Interested foreign buyers for this desirable property (America) are out there, with Russia’s Putin obviously being Trump’s favorite bidder, and earnest deposits from Putin and these other despots are possibly already being made, in one form or another. Trump, as the official “manager-for-life,” will be especially accommodating to Putin’s requests for alterations to our homestead. For example, removing the fence around the front yard (NATO), remodeling the kitchen (DOJ), and generally making the home more welcoming, by eliminating/replacing many pieces of furniture (government offices/officials), will certainly be both Trump’s and Putin’s major priorities.

If losing this valuable piece of real estate (America), in which so many of its residents have invested all their lives, is acceptable to Americans/voters, and they decide not to prevent these transactions, then this “Make-anti-Americanism-Go-Ahead” sell-out deal could become a devastating reality.

Oh well, there will always be Canada, which is not on the market — yet!

Sigrid R.E. Fischer-Mishler,
Harpswell

Challenges facing our future

As the parent of a young child, I’m worried about what kind of future he will have in our state when he gets older. There are many challenges facing our communities, from our changing climate to the lack of affordable housing to the rising cost of living. I believe we need a new generation of leaders in Augusta to think bigger and bolder about the solutions to these challenges.

That’s why I’m supporting Jean Guzzetti to be our democratic candidate for state Senate District 24 representing Sagadahoc County and the town of Dresden.

Jean is a Bath resident, a single mother of two girls in public school, and a part-time law student. She has served as the register of probate for Sagadahoc County and as a policy analyst for the legislature.

Jean knows the challenges that many of us are facing because she’s faced them herself. She knows how difficult it is to find safe, affordable housing in our area. She’s lived with the uncertainty of not having access to health care. Like me, she’s also worried about what the future will look like for her daughters and is determined to leave a positive legacy for them.

Few people running for office have the combination of personal and professional experience that Jean has, and fewer still can match her energy and enthusiasm for public service. I would sleep a little better at night knowing that people like Jean are representing us in Augusta and giving a voice to all Mainers.

I urge everyone to vote for Jean Guzzetti in the primary election on Tuesday, June 11, and help bring a new generation of leadership to Augusta.

Andrew Francis,
Bath

Newcomers aren’t the reason for our housing problems

I write about the concerns expressed by some that efforts to help asylum-seekers find housing comes at the expense of Mainers. This ignores many existing efforts that help Mainers find affordable housing. One Brunswick developer has been criticized for providing temporary housing for asylum-seekers, ignoring the fact that he also does much more for local folks who need affordable housing.

Thank goodness for Tedford Housing, The Gathering Place, Preble Street Veterans Housing Services, Habitat for Humanity, Maine State Housing Authority, and the various property tax relief programs that assist not-so-wealthy Mainers find or stay in their homes.

The real enemy of affordable housing is hedge funds and corporate investors buying up mobile home parks, then doubling or tripling rents; income tax laws written to help the ultra-wealthy with lower tax rates than the rest of us pay—sometimes paying zero; one-percenters coming to Maine for second or third homes, driving up real estate prices; folks who buy up neighborhoods and turn them into short-term vacation rentals.

Let’s not leave out the oil companies and grocery chains who blamed pandemic-caused supply chain problems for raising prices and then keeping those prices high after supply-chain issues have largely been fixed.

I understand the frustration of those for whom the American dream remains elusive. Much of the fault lies with forces unseen and untouchable, so the focus turns to those most visible, encouraged by political leaders who try to convince us it’s those who are less fortunate and different than we are who are the enemy, but whose real motive is to hide their wealth and that of their benefactors and contributors. It is a story as old as human history.

Many employers are hurting for lack of workers. If asylum-seekers can help my favorite coffee shop stay open, help my friend find workers for his mobile home installation business, or help my daughter reduce her 60-hour work week as a postal worker, then I welcome them to my native state.

Robert Howe,
Brunswick

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