Tag Archives: Vaping

Vaped Out: How Nicotine and THC Are Hijacking Young Minds

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By Jayden W.

On a bus ride to an educational event, I watched in disbelief as an elementary school student pulled out a nicotine pen. He couldn’t have been more than ten. Who gave it to him? Who failed to stop him? It was a sobering reminder that addiction often starts early, long before kids fully understand the risks.

More teens and young adults than ever are turning to nicotine and THC to cope with overwhelming emotions, not realizing how quickly a habit can spiral into addiction. According to a Truth Initiative survey from August 2021, 81% of young people aged 15 to 24 who vape say they started to reduce stress, anxiety, or depression. But studies show that nicotine abstinence worsens mental health issues, creating a cruel cycle of dependency.

What begins as a temporary escape frequently turns into a long-term battle with anxiety, depression, and dependency, hijacking not just young people’s minds but their futures. But the issue goes beyond use; it starts with access. So what do we do now?

For every 200 students in primary school, there should be at least 1 counselor. The need for counselors isn’t just for adolescents; college students need counselors as well. On a college campus, for every 400 students, there should be at least 1 counselor. According to a ASCA grant-funded research study, school-counselor-to-student ratios may be optimal at 1:250, but grade level and socioeconomic factors of a district require close consideration.

Government officials and school boards must allocate more funds toward hiring trained counselors to meet the needs of students. If school districts don’t have enough funds to hire these essential workers, they should partner with other organizations to help cultivate a student body that feels comfortable talking about their challenges. 

Though I’ve never used nicotine or THC, I understand the dangerous pull. When life gets hard, we reach for what soothes us at the moment, even if it damages us later. For me, it was food. During a season of deep depression, I turned to overeating for comfort. A moment of joy would quickly turn into guilt, and the weight of my emotional pain would return even heavier. That experience taught me how easily a coping strategy can become a harmful cycle.

If addiction roots itself in childhood, it’s far more likely to persist into adulthood. And if we’re going to stop nicotine and THC from hijacking young minds, we must start by having the hard conversations. It’s now or never.

Resources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5755398/

https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/colliding-crises-youth-mental-health-and-nicotine-use

The Illusion of Safety: Vapes Were Never the Better Option

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By Meagan K.

Instead of launching with clear warning labels, vapes debuted in neon colors with flavors like blue razz ice, cotton candy, and dulce de leche — all in an effort to cater to younger audiences. They were supposed to be a better alternative to smoking: no smell, no risk. But that illusion is cracking as the consequences of vapes are emerging. To no one’s surprise, the youth are paying the price. 

One Juul pod contains approximately 20 cigarettes’ worth of nicotine. Nic salts absorb rapidly and hit harder than nicotine found in cigarettes, explaining why 53.1 percent of past 30-day users reported being “a little” or “very addicted.” The largest group of vape consumers is 18 to 25, closely followed by kids aged 12 to 17. Young adults who believed vapes were fairly harmless are getting diagnosed with illnesses like popcorn lung, EVALI, and lipoid pneumonia. 

The true danger isn’t the chemicals in the device, but its convenience: Vapes are discreet, and users can partake more often and with few social consequences. Step into any school bathroom today, and you’re likely to find a group congregated around the sink, nonchalantly passing a community vape around. And when they’re done, it’s tucked into a sleeve, and that’s it — no penalties incurred.

The only way to reverse this trend is to treat vapes the same way we do cigarettes.

Cigarettes lost popularity thanks to anti-smoking campaigns in the 1990s and 2000s, which led to smokers being embarrassed to light one up. Then came smoke rooms and, finally, no smoking indoors. While vapes don’t have the same repulsive smell, they can still induce asthma attacks in bystanders. If stigma is the only way to address the vaping crisis, it’s about time we brought it back.

The United States could also learn from Australia, which tightened regulations last year. Now, vapes can only be sold at pharmacies, and only to help smokers quit. The country also restricts flavors to mint, menthol, and tobacco, and packaging must adhere to plain pharmaceutical standards. Maybe if we stopped camouflaging these vapes as toys, kids would stop treating them that way.