A recent state study found that vaping by Marin County youth has doubled within the last two years, prompting local officials to call for urgent action to ban the sales of flavored tobacco and nicotine vapor products.

The California Department of Education’s report found that e-cigarette and vaping use nearly or more than doubled between 2016 and 2018 among seventh-, ninth- and 11th-grade students who were surveyed, according to data provided by the county.

The largest increase was among 11th-grade students, jumping from 11 percent to 28 percent for students who currently use or used nicotine vapor products within the past 30 days at the time they were surveyed.

For local ninth-graders, use increased from 9 to 20 percent, and for seventh-graders it jumped from 2 to 5 percent.

Students using nicotine vapor products at school also jumped from 3 to 13 percent for 11th-graders, 3 to 10 percent for ninth-graders and 1 to 3 percent among seventh-graders, according to the data.

Bob Curry, head of the county’s tobacco-related disease program, said the results demonstrate that the county needs to do more. He said this includes social media messaging, which he said will be more likely to reach youth, and a push for restrictive policies like the county’s proposed ban.

“It’s something that we all in the community have to work together. This is an epidemic,” Curry said. “Regular cigarette smoking has gone down with them and all of a sudden now we have these young people that are being addicted to nicotine and we’re afraid that, other than the vaping, they’ll get on to the regular tobacco products also.

“We all just have to address it and do it quickly.”

The state is set to release data on individual districts by November.

In response to the findings, county Public Health Officer Dr. Matthew Willis said officials will be hosting a public forum with the Marin County Office of Education on Oct. 18 to discuss the issue.

“This confirms the concerns of educators, parents and public health officials who have noted an alarming increase in the use of these products by young people in our schools, at home and in our communities,” Willis said in a released statement. “Almost a third of Marin 11th-graders are regularly using harmful, nicotine-containing products that are highly addictive.”

Ken Lippi, assistant superintendent of the Marin County Office of Education, said the forum will be a kind of “vaping 101” course for parents, families and concerned community members to learn about the health risks, the current products and what they can do to prevent use.

Lippi said the education office has provided assistance to school districts to create anti-vaping programs, trained peer educators who he could influence adolescents, and collaborates with the county Department of Health and Human Services for parent education and events.

Lippi said the programs are not ineffective, but the vaporizer market is continually expanding and changing. It will require the same aggressive educational approach and policy changes as they took to reduce tobacco use, he said.

“I think what we’re dealing more with is the need for more education, for more preventative measures and for a wraparound effort by the whole community just as we did with tobacco use years back,” Lippi said.

Health officials say the smoother intake and more attractive flavors can make vaporizers more attractive to youths than traditional cigarettes. But Curry said a pod of nicotine juice can contain as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes and can be smoked within three days.

“The nicotine is something that is very dangerous for the developing brain of young people and the brain continues to develop until their mid-20s,” Curry said.

The county’s call to action comes as nicotine vaporizer producers are facing scrutiny at the federal level for allegedly promoting tobacco and nicotine use by youths.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration called for five major vaporizer producers, including the popular yet controversial brand Juul, to provide “robust plans” on how they will address “widespread youth access and use of their products.”

If these manufacturers’ plans are not submitted or are deemed inadequate, the agency states it may pull some or all of their products out of the market.

Willis and Curry said the federal government’s actions came as good news to them, but Curry said the federal government might move slower than some would prefer.

“That’s why we have to act, and we can act a lot quicker at the local level,” Curry said. “We have tremendous support from our policy leaders in Marin County.”

Fairfax, Sausalito and Novato have passed some form of ban or restriction on flavored tobacco sales. The Smoke-Free Marin coalition — which includes the county, the Office of Education and various health agencies and organizations — is calling for other local jurisdictions to follow suit.

The coalition also partnered with Office of Education to send out health information on vaping, tobacco and alcohol use to 3,000 families of incoming freshman students, according to Curry.

Should the county Board of Supervisors ultimately pass a ban, with a vote expected to occur in about a month, Curry said it could create momentum in other communities to join.

The Oct. 18 forum is at 6:30 p.m. at the Marin County Office of Education at 1111 Las Gallinas Ave. in San Rafael.