Vaping has become a crisis across the country, and Hall County is right in the middle of it. The issue of vaping, especially among young people, will be part of a forum tonight. “The Truth about Vaping Community Forum" will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the First Baptist Church Banquet Hall at 751 Green Street in Gainesville.
To find out what some young people think about vaping, AccessWDUN asked its intern, Traci Timmons, a student at Flowery Branch High School, to talk to students, teachers and administrators at her school. Her article is below.
Many Flowery Branch High School students who vape feel unaffected by the recent deaths and illnesses linked to vaping, but Hall County schools have changed their vape policies with hopes of changing that.
“I’m still going to vape. It’s not going to change a thing,” said one Flowery Branch student who asked to remain nameless. “It doesn’t affect me in a negative way. It does more good than bad for me.”
Electronic cigarettes have been around since the early 2000s with companies like Blu, Juul, Smok and Vaporesso being created with the goal of offering a healthy alternative to smoking. Although this was their intention, is that all they achieved?
In the U.S., 23 vaping-related deaths – including two in Georgia – have been reported, along with more 1,100 vaping-related illnesses. Officials are worried most about how this issue is affecting teens.
In a recent survey, 51 percent of Flowery Branch High School students said they have tried vaping with 18 percent of students saying they consider themselves addicted.
“The flavoring, I think, is the biggest thing that gets them started on it.” Principal Jason Carter said.
Vice Principal Jimmy Lawler added that peer pressure plays a role in why students vape.
“I hate to use the word ‘popular,’ but it’s kind of the ‘in’ thing to do,” he said. “We don’t see cigarettes anymore, and I think students continue to do it because it’s very addictive. There’s so much nicotine in a lot of these products that once they do it a couple times, their body actually craves it.”
According to the survey, 48 percent of students also agree that peer pressure is the main factor of teen vaping, followed by oral fixation, stress, and lastly, the flavors.
“Students in high school tend to follow the latest trends and do what their friends or close peers are doing, which is how the popularity of vaping began,” Julianna Velaj, a Flowery Branch junior, said.
“It’s a stress reliever. It makes you feel relaxed,” senior Colton Murphy said.
Though peer pressure was the most common answer in the survey, many students said that they had never felt peer pressured themselves.
“My friends understand why I don’t want to do it,” freshman Franco Torres said. He joked, “I know my brother would beat me up if he found out.”
A majority of students in the survey said their parents have talked to them about the risks of vaping.
Vaping first became a problem at Flowery Branch High School about two years ago with the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes, and this year, the Hall County vape policy has changed.
The first offense for students caught vaping on campus results in three to five days of in-school suspension along with the completion of an online course that will educate students about vaping and the dangers of it.
The second offense will result in up to five days of out-of-school suspension and possible referral to a disciplinary tribunal and the county’s Super One drug program. A third offense will lead to 10 days of out of school suspension with possible referral to a disciplinary tribunal and alternative school.
Flowery Branch High has not had a student reach the second offense, administrators said.
“As of right now, our numbers are down, but I think the issue is, it’s still going on. They’re just being smarter about not getting caught,” Carter said.
According to student reports, those that are vaping on school property will frequently do so in bathroom stalls. Vapes commonly used by students do not make loud sounds and tend to have little to no smell.
“Probably the most common [vape found] would be the Juul. It’s easy to conceal,” Lawler says, “I think it’s probably the least expensive, so it’s the most common, but we find all kinds.”
Fewer than 25 percent of students who vape said the new school policies have discouraged them from vaping.
“I think it’s ridiculous. What if you’re 18? You’re going to kick someone out of school for something they can legally have now?” Murphy said.
The Hall County policies state that, along with cigarettes, vapes are not permitted on school campus no matter the age.
More than half of students in the survey agreed the school should do more, in light of recent deaths and illnesses.
“The school could help by making posters of the statistics and data, promoting the harmful effects of vaping. This would bring students’ attention to it as they walk down the halls, are in the lunchroom, or are about to leave school,” Velaj says.
All Hall County schools received videos and public service announcements about the dangers of vaping that will play during sporting events. During faculty meetings, teachers were shown an assortment of different vapes that have been confiscated from students.
“Some of them were in shock,” said Lawler, “They had no idea.”
Most faculty members believe that with the recent news, vaping will eventually go out of style much as cigarettes did.
“I could not tell you the last time I saw a cigarette on campus. Ten years ago, you still had a little group that would smoke,” Lawler said.
