Understanding and Addressing Vape Addiction in Students
Have you noticed students vaping around school? Do you wonder why they would risk all the trouble they can get in for possessing tobacco products on school property just for a hit of a vape?
Playbl Newsletter | October 2024
🖐️ Welcome to this month’s Playbl Newsletter, where we provide research-based content to educators and clinicians to support their behavioral health work with youth. This month’s edition focuses on understanding and addressing vaping addiction in students through means other than suspensions.
Have you noticed students vaping around school? Do you wonder why they would risk all the trouble they can get in for possessing tobacco products on school property just for a hit of a vape? Remember, vaping is often more than just a habit or a way to hang out with friends – students who vape are often addicted to nicotine and may not be making conscious choices. While school policies may require you to begin disciplinary action, it’s crucial to understand the underlying factors including addiction and provide support. Ask them:
Cravings: Do they seem to need a vape as soon as they wake up or during class?
Avoidance: Are they trying to vape in places where it’s not allowed?
Impulsivity: Do they reach for their vape without thinking about it?
Withdrawal: Are they feeling really irritable or anxious when they can’t vape?
Obsession: Do they prioritize buying vape supplies over other things?
E-cigarettes deliver high levels of nicotine in flavors that appeal to young people and can harm their developing brains. This can lead to problems with impulse control, mood, attention, and learning, which can affect their behavior in school.
Here are some facts:
64% of students who currently use e-cigarettes want to quit.
67% report trying to quit in the last year but it is hard to do.
Students caught with tobacco products on school grounds need support, not punishment.
Suspensions hurt:
Missed education: Students miss valuable lessons and fall behind which puts them at risk for not graduating on time, repeating a grade, dropping out, or becoming involved with the criminal justice system.1
Increased risk: They’re more likely to experience mental health issues, substance misuse, and behavioral problems.
Disproportionate impact: Suspensions often disproportionately affect students of color, those with special needs, students from low-income families, LGBTQ+ students, and male students.2
What students need:
Help quitting: Students addicted to nicotine need support to quit, not punishment.
Alternatives to suspension: Schools can offer programs that help students learn and grow, rather than punishment.
A longitudinal study of 9th graders in Florida showed that the chances of succeeding academically are sensitive to even the first suspension. With each school suspension there is an increase in dropout rates, a decrease in graduation rates and a decrease in college enrollment. This point has important implications for the use of out-of-school suspensions as a disciplinary policy – the risk they impose on students’ chances of high school and post-secondary success are not only a threat for those students who are repeat or habitual offenders, but also for those students who are otherwise well behaved but receive even one isolated suspension.
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Instead of suspension, let’s offer students a helping hand.
The Centers for Disease Control says that counseling and education are the best ways to help young people quit smoking and vaping. By using alternatives to suspension, schools can improve student outcomes and make sure that everyone has a fair chance to succeed
Not sure how to create a different response? A tiered method of response suggested by the Public Health Law Center4 at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law includes the following measures:
The first violation shall result in confiscation of tobacco products, tobacco-related devices, imitation tobacco products, or lighters; notification of parents and/or guardians; and at least one of the following:
A student meeting and individual student assessment with a chemical health educator or designated staff to discuss commercial tobacco use and the school policy.
Student participation in a tobacco education program, such as SmokeScreen.
Provision of information to student about available cessation programs and resources.
The second violation shall result in confiscation of tobacco products, tobacco-related devices, imitation tobacco products, or lighters; notification of parents and/or guardians; the provision of information to the student about available cessation programs; and at least one of the following:
A student meeting and individual student assessment with a chemical health educator or designated staff with parents and/or guardians to discuss commercial tobacco use and school policy.
Student participation in a tobacco education program.
The third and any subsequent violation shall result in confiscation of tobacco products, tobacco-related devices, imitation tobacco products, or lighters; notification of parents and guardians; the provision of information to the student about available cessation programs; student participation in a tobacco education program; and at least one of the following:
A student meeting and individual student assessment with a chemical health educator or designated staff with parents and/or guardians to discuss commercial tobacco use and school policy.
Educational community service.
Let’s work together to create a more supportive school environment. By understanding the challenges of vape addiction and offering help instead of punishment, we can empower students to make healthier choices and achieve their full potential. Remember, every student deserves a chance to succeed.
Playbl is a mission-driven organization focused on improving adolescent behavioral health. As a partner to the play2PREVENT Lab, we leverage the power of evidence-based video games to improve health outcomes for youth aged 10-20. Game topics include smoking & vaping, opioid misuse, mental health, and sexual health.
Click here to learn more about our games and find out how to bring them to your organization.
If you would like to learn more about building a school environment to decrease all substance misuse and addiction, reach out to the team at Playbl about our professional development courses for educators and administrators.
