NHS recognized vaping taking part in different parts of school as of last year and are working to fix it, according to school officials.

A lightning quick rise in E-cigarette use has led to horrifying injuries, bad habits and trouble with the law. Leaving high schools across America in a stand still.

With a rising epidemic in vaping, students are blindsided with the impact it brings. 

“Over the past two years, vaping has had a huge impact on Neenah High School students.  Students who use e-cigarettes are vaping in classrooms, hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms, and more,” Christine Christensen, alcohol and drug Prevention Coordinator for N.J.S.D said.

The issue has been detrimental to all schools. Electronic cigarettes are taking the attention of a majority of teenagers that attend high school. The devices are packed with an addictive chemical called, nicotine, which keeps the minors coming back for more. 

Statistics show from a 2018 survey composed by National Institute on Drug Abuse, that there has been a 9.5 percent increase in teens vaping since 2017.

Neenah is also surrounded by other high schools with the rising issue. In 2019, a Youth Risk Behavior survey was conducted by N.J.S.D. showing 17 percent of Neenah students reported actions of recently vaping, which was down from last years 26 percent. 

Actions have been put in place to help influence minors in a positive way. The N.J.S.D. Board of Education has put a violation regarding the e-cigarette issue, which will result in suspension and fines. The City of Neenah also passed an ordinance on Sept. 19 banning minors from vaping because of health related diseases. 

With vaping taking the storm of students across the country, worry deepens for the health-related concerns of electronic cigarettes. 

“Health wise, students also risk severe lung damage. Because we do not have enough long-term studies available about the impact of vaping products on our health, we do not really know it’s impact long term, which is scary,” Christensen said.

A more popular brand recognized across the vaping industry is, Juul. Teens are attracted to the secret disguise; the devices resemble an ordinary USB drive. In a study by Initiative Health 15- 17 year-olds have over 16 times greater odds to be current JUUL users compared with those aged 25-34. 

The youth is not only interested in the masking of the device, but also the plenty of flavors it comes with: Including cool mint, mango, fruit medley and crème brûlée.

Many benefits have come with the percentage of vape users school-wide progressively going down. According to the NIDA, double the amount of students have come forward with mistakes to using devices compared with 2018. Many of the kids that still use the products, go to them as outlets to relieve stress and simply because of addiction. 

Multiple programs have been put it place to help students step away from the matter. SALT and LAUNCH have given teens the opportunity to give the everlasting addiction up, for once and for all. Guidance classes have been put into action to educate students on the factual information that put risk upon themselves.  

As the year continues, Christensen hopes to see continuing improvement and see kids making the right decision when it comes to using the harmful devices. 

“We have to create an environment in which students feel safe going to an adult about issues that may lead to students using vaping products to cope. I believe we are getting better at creating this supportive culture,” Christensen said.