Wake County high school student group urges peers to 'escape the vape'

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A group of Wake County high school students is working to stop their classmates from vaping.

On Tuesday, they presented their findings to the Wake County School Board.

Part of the campaign included an "Escape the Vape" week back in November.

"I first noticed vaping back in middle school," said Vishnu Ranabothu, a rising senior at Enloe High School.

He and fellow Enloe student Arjun Kuncha and Green Hope High School student Benjamin Lu are the ones behind the campaign.

Arjun and Benjamin are both graduating next week.

"It's definitely a huge issue that we're aiming to address with this "Escape the Vape" week campaign," Ranabothu said.

The three met through the Poe Center for Health Education's Youth Empowerment program. They are hoping the district will emulate what they've started.

"This strain on our brotherhood really impacts me personally," said Lu, who was on the football team at Green Hope and said he's seen teammates using these products. "We're trying to shift the culture of our generation. Don't vape, it's bad for you just like they did years ago with smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products."

The CDC said a recent study showed that the use of e-cigarettes has gone but they are still the most commonly used tobacco product in both middle and high school students. The study said half of those students who ever tried the products reportedly currently using them.