Candy flavored smoke fills the anonymous sophomore’s lungs as she holds the thin, black vape pen to her lips. Increasing rates of underage vaping like this provoked administration to educate students on the dangerous effects of using nicotine products.
“In some ways I do feel like the school should care because there are consequences to vaping,” the sophomore said. “However, even if teens stop, there is always going to be something else they will turn to.”
Governor Gavin Newsom passed a bill on Sept. 23, which gives $20 million to anti-vaping campaigns, increases taxes on vapes and requires nicotine companies to list health facts. The risk of nicotine addiction is a significant danger of vaping. Addicted users may be unable to stop and experience withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability and restlessness.
According to the Center for Disease Control’s National Youth Tobacco survey, 27.5% of high school students vape. Tobacco companies often advertise their products to minors. The California Tobacco Control Program reported that teens make up half of the people hospitalized due to a recent severe outbreak of lung illness. Every week, one to two people are estimated to die from vaping.
To address the vaping crisis, health teacher Lyle Takeshita is currently educating his students on the dangers of vaping.
“The problem is that people can get addicted to the nicotine in vapes, so they need more of it,” Takeshita said. “I think young people think it’s safe after hearing it from their friends, peers and others. To many teens, it’s a cool thing to see or be a part of vaping even though it can get users addicted.”