Snuffing out e-cigs in school
Generations of kids have ducked out in school restrooms to sneak a cigarette.
Readers of a certain age may recall “Smokin’ in the Boys Room,” the song made popular in the 1980s by heavy metal band Motley Crue that became the rallying cry for teenage rebellion:
“Sittin’ in the classroom, thinkin’ it’s a drag
Listening to the teacher rap, just ain’t my bag
By the two bells ring, you know it’s my cue
I’m gonna meet the boys on floor number two
Smokin’ in the boys room…”
Fast forward 50 years, and the old-school smokes have been replaced by their higher-tech cousins, e-cigarettes – better known as vapes – made popular by grabby marketing campaigns targeting the younger demographic on social media platforms.
With a gamut of flavors ranging from mango and strawberry to menthol and tobacco, and their sleek and often-discreet designs – many vapes resemble USB drives or pens – the marketing ploys capture youths’ attention, and dollars, and then reel them in with their addictive properties.
Vaping involves inhaling – or hitting – aerosol or mist created by heating a liquid in a battery-powered device. Vape cartridges or “pods” can be filled with THC, CBD or other drugs, and can contain carcinogens associated with serious lung disease.
In today’s front-page story, staff writer Karen Mansfield cites that e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students in the United States last year, with 1.63 million reporting regular use. Most of the products contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance that can harm parts of an adolescent’s brain that controls learning, mood, impulse control and attention.
A number of area school districts are taking steps to snuff out vaping by installing devices that detect the presence of vape chemicals and silently alert staff.
Fort Cherry and Canon-McMillan in Washington County, along with Jefferson-Morgan in Greene and Albert Gallatin in Fayette, are among districts that are placing vape detectors in school buildings. California Area piloted them last year in middle and high school restrooms and high school locker rooms with success.
“It was the first full year that we implemented the detectors, and I can say that there has been a reduction in the number of office referrals for the use of nicotine products,” California middle/high school Principal Dr. Josh Pollock told the newspaper, conceding that violators may have moved to areas not monitored by detectors.
Rather than just invoking punishment, California and Jefferson-Morgan require violators to complete a vaping education course. And some districts, including J-M and Albert Gallatin, are taking a proactive approach to prevent students from “lighting up” in the first place and have integrated vaping awareness into the curriculum.
“We want to take the opportunity to provide students with the information they need to make sound decisions. It’s our job and responsibility and duty as educators to make sure that students have the resources and information to make good decisions,” Pollock said. “We’ve found that oftentimes just slapping the hand of a student and saying, ‘You’re suspended for three days,’ has no benefit.”
Now there’s a catchy tune.