The Kamloops-Thompson School District is hosting a seminar tonight on vaping and cannabis legislation.

UBC Okanagan Psychology Professor, Dr. Marvin Krank will speak on the amount of online advertising and misrepresentation and how it affects today’s youth.

SD73 Board Chair Kathleen Karpuk says they are seeing an increase in teenagers vaping in schools.

“Our concern is that any time that you’re inhaling a foreign substance deep into your lungs there are health risks,” she said. “We don’t have enough research to say that there aren’t any health risks, so despite it being marketed as being safe, we don’t believe it is.”

Karpuk is pleading with parents who buy e-cigarettes and vapes for their children to stop doing so.

“When we have children smoking them in school washrooms, it is a health concern for other students with allergies and students with asthma,” Karpuk added.

“So it’s not just the student that’s smoking them that we’re worried about, it’s the students and staff around them that can also have side effects.”

Tonight’s seminar starts at 7 PM and runs until around 8:30 PM.