Vaping has become an epidemic among young people, but has it been normalized for students in schools?
As of 2024 an estimated 3.5% of middle school students (410,000) and 7.8% of high school students (1.21 million) vape. Since 2020 it has become increasingly popular, with a 50% increase from January 2020 to December 2022.
Every school in America has a policy against vaping, but unfortunately, that doesn’t stop people from doing it. Many students have said they’ve seen more people vaping at Placer than at their last school.
“Yes, I know a lot of people that do, a lot more than at my last school,” said a freshman who did not want to be named.
Freshman Lia Greene agreed, “Yeah I definitely have seen more people smoking around Placer than at my middle school.”
Vaping has been even more popular since they started targeting their advertisements at young adults and teens, drawing them in with flavors like cotton candy, blue raspberry, and fruit punch. Not only do they use flavors to appeal to young people, but they also use the promise of better mental health; as many companies claim that vaping will keep you “sane” and “relaxed”.
As it turns out, it has the opposite effect. Long-term exposure can permanently damage the Amygdala, the part of the brain that deals with emotional processes. In doing so, it makes the brain more susceptible to substance abuse disorders, anxiety, and depression. Along with these illnesses, it can also create nicotine dependence, which means you constantly have to inhale nicotine to feel normal. If you refrain from using you can suffer from withdrawals which have symptoms like low mood and irritability.
Although some may not see the signs, several teachers have, like Placer High School math teacher Ashley Patton-Isaac. She claims kids have come into her class smelling like vapes, and students have been pulled out of class to be searched on multiple occasions.
Dan Wilson, another teacher at Placer has also seen many of the signs, and not only that but he’s caught students in the act numerous times. Wilson explains that when catching students, “I sit there and I put my hand out and say ‘hand it over’ then I walk them down to the office.”
Even with many students being caught by teachers, some still slip through the cracks. Multiple students will go into the bathroom for several minutes, and some will even go into stalls together. This can be frustrating for people who have to use the bathroom, and everyone suffers through the smell. Unfortunately, this is now an everyday occurrence as nearly every time you walk in the bathroom whether it be during passing period, breaks, or lunch, someone is vaping.
“I think for some it is normalized, but some students quickly grow out of it and think it’s lame. What was cool before is not that cool now,” stated Wilson.
So, maybe this trend will die out but for now, is it the norm for students?