The amount of students that participate in vaping may be increasing.

The idea of an e-cigarette originated in 1963 from a man named Herbert Gilbert. There are many more young people using these devices in 2021 though. According to pewreasearch.org, “The shares of secondary students who have vaped nicotine in the past month have roughly doubled since 2017.” This quotes defends the statement that the amount of students that vape is on the rise. It’s very important though to inform of the dangers that come along with vaping. According to cdc.gov “most e-cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20.” The consequences for vaping inside schools need to be informed about as well.

“Consequences of vaping in school varies depending on the substance and how many times you have been found vaping. We always include parents and make them notified of their student’s choices,” dean of students Phillip Depa said.

Its best for everyone if vaping is kept on the outside of school grounds if it’s done at all. Another question that is raised with this topic is why are students vaping at all?

“My personal opinion is that they try it since its so accessible, then they get addicted to it. That’s why it’s so important to know what is in them and how they can harm your body, especially at a young age,” dean of students Phillip Depa said.

This quote further proves the point that students get addicted to these e-cigarettes and it makes it hard for them to stop once they’ve started. If you ask students though the reason they think their peers are vaping is quite different.

“They really just want to look cool in front of everybody else. Especially the younger kids if someone passes them a pen they’ll smoke it cause they don’t want to look lame and they want to fit in,” Morton West graduate Destiny Banks said.

This quote shows a different point of view from a young person that believes that some people vape to fit in. Another student has a different perception though.

“Some kids only vape because they want to get high. Those things don’t get me high at all its like smoking a cigarette,” an anonymous Morton East student said.

This point of view illustrates that young people don’t educate themselves on the substances they put into their bodies.