Across the United States, schools are grappling with a catastrophic epidemic of vaping, an extremely addictive and dangerous activity that will lead young people into a downward spiral of addiction, and severe pulmonary, cardiac and neurological effects.
When entering the school bathrooms, students are often greeted with groups of students wasting their lives away vaping during lunch, passing periods and classes while going unchecked by campus personnel. This activity threatens to trap them in a lifetime of pain, misery, suffering, and dependence on nicotine—the chemical behind these addictions.
Vaping nicotine triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter which is part of the brain’s reward system. This teaches the brain that nicotine is good and essential to its survival. Overtime, this dependence on nicotine leads to extreme agitation and anxiety when the addicted individual is without their vape. Soon, individuals need nicotine to feel any sense of normalcy. This addition has led students to ditch class and go to bathrooms to vape, causing alarm for the school. However, despite warnings and security outside of bathrooms, students who vape are often left without disciplinary action and continue to do so as they please.
The repercussions of vaping extend far beyond missed classes and declining academic performance. Students who vape expose themselves to extremely dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals known as carcinogens. These harmful chemicals cause permanent damage to the lungs and can even potentially lead to death.
It is clear that vaping in school is a growing problem. It endangers the livelihoods of students as well as students who are exposed to secondhand smoke. It is a distracting behavior that inhibits a student’s ability to properly learn and interact with others. The school needs to be stricter regarding policies and actions against vaping.
