CHANTILLY, Va. — Four Virginia teens are contributing to the fight to curb teenage vaping.
Chantilly High School senior Kamal Mazhar, 17, formed the group "Teens Against Vaping" with his friends, Ryan Vandervate, William Wieder and Mahat Palle after noticing the effects of e-cigarette use among their peers.
"We would see a lot of our friends begin to vape and then they would tell us, if they did sports, they would have trouble breathing after just a bit," Mazhar said. "Some people would be struggling to concentrate during classes."
Vaping has been under fire recently after people in states across the country have become ill after using e-cigarette devices.
The Maryland Department of Health reported, as of Tuesday, that 20 people in Maryland have developed lung illnesses due to vaping.
"This has to end," Mazhar said. "We have to put a stop to this."
Multiple jurisdictions around the DMV are considering new proposals to reduce vaping among teens.
On Tuesday, D.C. Councilmembers Vince Gray and Mary Cheh introduced separate bills regarding e-cigarette use.
Cheh's proposal would ban flavored e-cigarettes in the District. Gray's legislation looks to prohibit e-cigarette users from vaping without a prescription.
In Montgomery County, lawmakers are also considering a bill that would ban vape shops from operating within half a mile of any middle or high school.
Mazhar's group is using social media to bring attention to the issue of vaping under their Instagram account: @teensvsvaping.
The American Vaping Association is using social media too. The AVA defends e-cigarette use. In a recent press release, the group claimed the act is safer than smoking.
"A ban will remove life-changing options from the market that have been used by several million American adults to quit smoking," Gregory Conley, President of the American Vaping Association, said.
But the National Institutes of Health still says vaping, in any manner, can damage one's health.