The vaping issue has grown in recent times as more teens are now participating in the act, and many schools are trying to inform and take a stand against vaping in the lives of teens. Fortunately, vaping isn’t a major issue here at the Morton East campus.

This new concerning wave of teenagers that vape is among one of the main concerns for, not exclusive to, schools around America. Studies have found that teen e-cigarette users are more likely to start smoking than non-users. 30.7 percent of e-cigarette users started smoking within 6 months while 8.1 percent of non users started smoking. Smoking includes combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, and hookahs. This statistic is what becomes harmful in the lives of teens as e-cigarettes lead to smoking, and smoking can lead to cancer, diseases, and even death. Though based on a survey conducted at Morton East of 100 students, 92 of those people said they didn’t vape regularly, however, 8 out of those 100 were regular users.

Some students don’t get the whole new wave of vaping however.

“I don’t know why people vape, they see the news where people get health problems with vaping,” said Morton senior Britany Gonzalez.

“I wouldn’t ever do it, you don’t know what kind of chemicals are in the e-cigarettes that are bad for you,” said Morton senior Vannity Bahena.

Not only were students against vaping, but so were teachers.

“Honestly, there’s a lot of harmful substances kids are using now, and they’re so vulnerable to purchasing and using e-cigarettes that are just going to hurt them in the long run of their life,” said Morton teacher Mrs. Del Real.

“Younger teens are still in that stage where they’ll do something to be cool, such as vape, to fit in with the rest of the crowd,” said Morton teacher Mr. Bays.