Mary Cipperman ’21
E-cigarette use– or “vaping”– remains prevalent nationally and within the Episcopal Academy. In response, the EA administration is working to establish a new educational program for Upper School students.
“I don’t see a change in vaping at EA. I think it’s actually maybe even worse,” says Mr. Michael Letts, Head of Upper School. Indeed, the use of “electronic nicotine delivery systems” (ENDS), called vapes, has increased significantly over the past year. 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data reveals that current e-cigarette use has increased by 78 percent among high school students and 48 percent among middle school students.
Letts suggests that the design of vapes, which administer drugs such as nicotine and marijuana, attracts students. One brand, JUUL, produces sleek, portable, and odorless devices. The rise of salt nicotine and replaceable pods, too, has increased appeal: the number of vapers globally has more than doubled over the past five years, according to Euromonitor International.
Students suggest another impetus for the continued use of e-cigs: the media. Yvvy Chen ‘21, says that she’s “seen Snapchat stories with people vaping.” Letts, too, comments on the “social media culture” that surrounds vaping.
Mr. Eric Mundy, who serves on the disciplinary council, adds that another form of media, marketing, counteracts efforts to limit vaping cases. He compares the use of “filters and different flavors added to cigarettes” to appeal to “women and younger generations in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s” to vaping companies today. He hopes that ad campaigns and manufacturer’s efforts can limit the extent of the problem.
Still, the convergence of appealing design and enticing media has made vaping difficult to limit. Hailee Moron ‘21 says, “The reason people don’t stop JUULing is because they don’t care. How do you prevent someone from doing that?”
Letts hopes to match punitive with preventative measures. Mr. Zachary Richards, Form Dean, says, “We want to make sure that everyone in the community is just better educated.” School deans, nurses, and student support representatives have been creating an educational program about the dangers of vaping. “We’ve begun about a month ago having conversations with physicians and pulmonologists at Jefferson,” Letts says. “We’re trying to put together a targeted approach that maps out over a series of advisories and speaking engagements in the theatre.” He hopes the program will explain some of the risks of vaping; chiefly, that it is “extremely addictive.” He adds that “there is so much information [on vaping] it’s hard to distill down.”
Students share his sentiment. Ava Petillo ‘21 feels that “people don’t have enough information.” Trisha Tsundupalli ‘21 adds that people just “don’t know the consequences of their actions.”
Even with these measures, Letts explains that the school will continue to address vaping as it arises. Richards elaborates that a challenge with vaping is its difficulty to detect. For this reason, administrators have made efforts to monitor bathrooms and locker rooms. Security now locks locker rooms during the day as well.
Beyond EA, Letts and Mundy hope that national measures will begin to limit companies like JUUL. Although the FDA no longer approves e-cigarettes as a quit smoking aid, it still aims to improve. A correspondent from the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) writes, “We recognize that if FDA is to end the tragic cycle of successive generations of nicotine and tobacco addiction, we must take every opportunity to disrupt that process where it starts: youth access to and use of tobacco products.”
Recent measures have advanced this agenda. In addition to ongoing education, enforcement, and other regulations, FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, on November 15, 2018, announced enforcements on flavored tobacco products and plans to ban menthol in combustible tobacco products. He hopes these efforts will counteract what the representative terms “kid-friendly marketing.”
Furthermore, the FDA has instituted a new public health education campaign, The Real Cost Youth E-Cigarette Prevention Campaign.
Letts’ ideas work in tandem with those of government regulators: he hopes to give students the resources to make informed choices. He concludes, “We have a responsibility to keep students safe. We want you to live healthy, productive lives.”