Dear America: Vaping In Schools Should Have More Consequences

Vapes in school have become more common, especially in the locker rooms and bathrooms. Everyone knows that it happens, both students and teachers. If one says it doesn’t happen they are either lying or pretending. Anyone who walks in the bathroom can tell that someone was doing something they should not. 

First, there aren’t many consequences. If there were, there wouldn’t be as many people doing it. The students that get caught will keep on doing it.

One of the main points of why there are not many consequences is that nothing will stop the students who vape, but my question is, “How do you know that schools can’t stop them if they don’t try different or more severe consequences?” 

An idea is to send them to military school, or maybe have students do community service on top of other punishments. It might sound like too much, but what if it’s a solution? What if this makes a student stop? We will never know if we don’t try. 

Another idea is expulsion, which is rare. The teachers and principals know the students who vape. First, all teens often vape because vapes come in fun flavors, have sleek enticing packaging, and can be charged in a USB port. Teens were led to believe that vapes are less harmful than cigarettes. Depending on the state it is only legal if you are 18 and some states 21. There are literally kids vaping in school and they should receive an expulsion or something more severe.

One in five high school students vape. Teens often start with vaping and graduate to cigarettes after. Also, your doctor will keep the details of what you talk about private, or confidential. The only times when your doctor will not honor your privacy is when someone is hurting you or you are going to hurt yourself or someone else. So you can tell a doctor that you vape and they won’t tell your parents which is absurd, especially because of the effects it can cause and the fact that the information a doctor gives to a 15 or 16-year-old might not stick out, they won’t listen. 

Our society is building an environment where you can do whatever you want and doctors can help hide stuff from parents. The parents, who gave you birth and do not want you harming yourself with vapes and cigarettes and so much more. Your doctors are very unlikely to tell your parents. They most certainly won’t if you ask them not to. 

State regulations often keep school administration from dealing with a student in a way that will help the student. Thanks to new rules, school sometimes cannot suspend a student that used to be suspended. How can students be helped when the very people hired to help them cannot properly help them?

Society is trying to build a safe environment for teens to ruin their lives. Teens think they are living better lives but the truth is, what is the point of gaining your life and losing your soul? 

How can our society and students help others win over their addictions? Certainly not by legalizing everything. According to a 2021 article by Renonr.Com, students are regretting vaping. The article states s boy’s regret: “I see those anti-vaping ads all over the place and it makes me kind of regret it,” he said. “Now that I’m addicted to it, it’s a constant challenge every day. But I keep doing it. I get itchy in a way if I don’t do it, kind of restless. The more I do it the more I regret it… It’s just so bad now. I wish I never started.” 

There are many other stories and cases of regrets, addiction, and more. It is time for a change. Let’s get back to consequences to help students deal with the consequences of their actions.