Have the days of students sparking up cigarettes in school bathrooms all but come to an end?
Schools in the state of New Hampshire are updating their policies to reflect their concerns over a growing trend in vape use among students.
At Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, New Hampshire, the school’s principal, Brian Stack, was quoted by the Union Leader as having described the cigarette smoking situation with students at his high school as “non-existent.” But while a decline in conventional cigarette use among students might be reason for some to celebrate, to others, it’s a sign of vaping’s growing popularity, which warrants its own concerns.
By Principal Stack’s account, “vaping has replaced cigarettes as the primary way that teens consume nicotine.” And due to its lack of odor, a notable difference between cigarette smoking, it’s “seemingly easier for teens to try to vape in the school.”
“Essentially, vaping has replaced cigarettes as the primary way that teens consume nicotine. What makes the problem worse is that vaping often can be done with little to no odor, making it seemingly easier for teens to try to vape in the school.”
In order to regulate their use and discourage their students from vaping while on school property, Sanborn Regional has updated their policy on vaping, now classifying it as a drug offense.
Michael Monahan, the principal of Exeter High School, was quoted by the Union Leader as having said that it depends “on the nature of the substance involved” when it comes to how the school classifies vape use. At Exeter, students are suspended if they’re found in possession of vaporizers and similar electronic devices.
Monahan reportedly referred to the rise in vape use among students as “dramatic” while also making note of Juul’s popularity in particular.
Juul vaporizers are notably the most popular in the United States, based on previously released Nielsen’s data. Some refer to Juuls as electronic cigarettes or e-cigs due to their use of liquid nicotine filled “pods.”
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the United States, the state of Washington is considering new legislation that would raise the age requirement for buying vaping and tobacco products from 18 to 21 — a move that would make it one of less than two handfuls of states to have passed similar bills raising their state age requirements for vape and tobacco product sales to consumers. And in Tennessee, while not quite the leap seen in Washington, state lawmakers have introduced a bill to raise the vaping and smoking age from 18 to 19.
Notably, some governments have banned vaping entirely while others are considering similar moves.
Meanwhile, in places like the United Kingdom, functions of the taxpayer-funded public healthcare system are formally recommending vaping to smokers as it has been shown to be an effective smoking cessation tool that is likely far less harmful than smoking — a position that is backed by a growing body of evidence.
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