On a daily basis, people are smoking and vaping constantly in the bathroom, leaving a horrible smell and therefore making it non-accessible.
Vaping has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly among young people. It involves inhaling and exhaling vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or other vaping device. While some people see it as a safer alternative to smoking, there are still many unknowns about the long-term health effects of vaping.
E-cigarettes and other vaping devices are often marketed as a way to help people quit smoking by providing a less harmful alternative. However, it's important to note that vaping is not a FDA-approved smoking cessation method. While some people may find it helpful in their efforts to quit smoking, there is no conclusive evidence that vaping is an effective way to quit smoking.
What do vapes look like?
E-cigarettes can come in all different shapes and sizes. An Elf bar is a combination of two different colors with a smooth finish. A JUUL is shaped like a usb flash drive. Zaza Vape Pen has neon packaging on the outside with a smiling devil face and the vape pen is black with a Z. On the inside of all of these, there is a built in battery and e-liquid or nicotine salts.
Harmful Effects:
In addition to nicotine, the liquid used in e-cigarettes and other vaping devices can also contain other harmful chemicals. Some of these chemicals have been linked to lung disease, heart disease, and other serious health problems. While the long-term health effects of vaping are still unknown, there is growing concern about the potential risks associated with vaping.
E-cigarettes contain high levels of nicotine. Nicotine has harmful effects on the developing adolescent brain. The brain doesn’t fully develop and mature until mid-to-late 20’s. CDC.gov says, “Using nicotine in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control… Using nicotine in adolescence may also increase risk for future addiction to other drugs.”
Second Hand Smoke:
Most of these vapers just smoke out and in the open leading to students breathing it in second hand. A foggy white cloud fills a corner, and the smell of a moldy basement fills the bathroom. According to the CDC, “There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. People who do not smoke who are exposed to secondhand smoke, even for a short time, can suffer harmful health effects… The effects of secondhand smoke exposure on the body are immediate. Secondhand smoke exposure can produce harmful inflammatory and respiratory effects within 60 minutes of exposure which can last for at least three hours after exposure.”
Addictiveness
Another concern with vaping is the potential for addiction. Because e-cigarettes and other vaping devices contain nicotine, they are highly addictive. This is particularly true for young people, whose brains are still developing and are more susceptible to addiction. Once someone becomes addicted to nicotine, it is very difficult to quit.
Safer than smoking?
While vaping may seem like a safer alternative to smoking, there are still many unknowns about the long-term health effects of vaping. It's important to remember that vaping is not an FDA-approved smoking cessation method and that the liquid used in e-cigarettes and other vaping devices can contain harmful chemicals. If you are trying to quit smoking, there are many FDA-approved smoking cessation methods available that have been proven to be effective.
Although it's true that vaping does not produce the same harmful chemicals and toxins as smoking, it's important to note that vaping is not necessarily any safer.
Banning Vapes
Nicotine can also harm brain development in young people, which is why the FDA has banned the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18. According to Vaping360.com “With over 40 percent of votes counted, California voters appear to be on the way to overwhelmingly approve Proposition 31, which bans sale in stores of vaping and tobacco products containing non-tobacco flavors. So far, 62 percent of voters have supported the flavor ban.” You have to be 21 to buy a vape in California so teenagers are getting them from “plugs.” They connect with these plugs online on social media.
Students at CMHS
During class time or nutrition break, there is usually always such a long line leading to outside of the girl’s bathroom. The vapers take up all the stalls and cause the line to become backed up. It also takes place during lunch and even the five minute breaks, while students are just trying to do business and get out.
