On Paso Robles High School campus vaping has been more present in the 18-19 school year than ever, one student says “I smoke on average 10 times a week/ 2 times a day on campus” . More than 1.3 million more teenagers vape in 2018 than 2017,U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Vaping is a big topic on PRHS campus, over the last 5 years the amount of students that have started or tried vaping have doubled, according to “Vaping Rises in Teens” by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. One of the main brands “JUUL” has become a big teenage vaping device, parents are concerned because the “juul” looks similar to a flash drive and are afraid that students can get there hands on them easier, “The New York Times”. The effect on education that vaping has is “a long road of addiction” ahead of it according to the George Lucas of Education Foundation. Many doctors claim that nicotine is a “gateway drug” into much harder drugs in the future. When students have “nicotine withdrawals” the symptoms are difficulty concentrating, anxiety, mood swings, ext.
Many students are pressured into vaping because of “ kids in every group are going it” and “Inhaling vapor has skyrocketed in tweens and teen across the nation’’, Liz Burrows, Tobacco Control Coordinator for the department of Oldham, Kentucky claims. 53.1% of 50 bearcats at PRHS have participated in vaping on campus alone. Also 61.2% of students “Don’t really care.” about vaping on their campus.
In my first interview I had with an anonymous bearcat they said this “I honestly feel if it’s recreational use and you’re not depending on it to solve any of your problems it's not a bad thing”. This interviewee also said “Adults don't get to choose what we as teenagers do, in the end we’re going to do whatever we want to do”.
Many students have a relaxed attitude about vaping and vaping on their campus, “As long as it doesn't bother me or my education it’s fine” the third anonymous bearcat i interviewed said.
Does vaping even affect students in their education and life? The question still remains, many students are tied in between caring and not caring at all. As our campus continues to see more and more vaping on campus, students education and possibility of drugs in the future may be on the line.