V a p in g Ep id emic The pungent smell of flavored air fills my nose as I walk into the bathroom. The cardboard and plastic packaging litters our campus and pollutes our environment. You can?t turn a corner without seeing a student pulling a brightly colored stick out of their pocket. Vice-principal William McGuire said that at least one student a week gets pulled into the office for vaping. "I've never seen it (vaping) this bad," Principal Ron Okamura said. "They (vapes) are supposed to last a week. We've seen students go through them in three days."
by Athena Matautia, reporter
Vaping is unhealthy in a variety of ways. For example, studies show that there are loads of unhealthy chemicals in the juice that powers the e-cigarette. Not only are there lots of chemicals, nicotine is also a prominent issue with vaping. Nicotine has been proven to be more addictive than heroin, cocaine, and alcohol. In an interview with Principal Okamura he said, "Sometimes they (students) can't even go one hour without it." Vaping also causes breathing difficulties, nausea, and weight loss. These symptoms are caused by buildup of oil or white blood cells in the lungs.
Vaping is a problem in not only our high schools, but our middle schools as well. Hawaii has the highest vaping rate among middle school students and the second highest vaping rate for high schoolers in the country. In the state of Hawaii, a new bill was introduced: The ban of flavored tobacco products. This bill was introduced in late January. It has gone through both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but certain conditions and amendments are currently being debated by both sides.
Data from Centers for Disease Control.
NEWS
M ay 2022
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