Raising Concerns About Teen Vaping: Interlachen High School’s Incident
Interlachen High School, in Putnam County, Florida, had an incident on Friday, April 22nd when two students had to be rushed by ambulance to the hospital with vaping-induced health issues. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office shared that one of the students was found unconscious on the floor of the school bathroom, and the second student was on their knees, saying they were going to pass out, and later had seizures at the hospital. Both students were taken to HCA Florida Hospital in Palatka.
According to News4Jax writer Erik Avanier, “An investigation revealed the two students who were taken to the hospital had been vaping with several other students in the same bathroom prior to getting sick. All the students who were questioned by the school resource officer admitted vaping inside the bathroom… The investigation further revealed some students placed their vapes in the ceiling of one of the girl’s bathrooms. A search of the bathroom led to the discovery of a vape hidden inside the ceiling.”
This horrible incident at Interlachen High School is one of many similar events that are happening nationwide, as teen vaping increases. According to the CDC, 14.1% (2.14 million) of high school students and 3.3% (380,000) of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2022. Smoking is dangerous for humans, and e-cigarette smoking is arguably even worse. The CDC stated that the reason for this is that most e-cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s.
As vape companies continue to target adolescents with fruity-flavored vapes, colorful ads, and unique designs, incidents like the recent one at Interlachen High School are bound to occur more.
By: Chloe Migut
Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/results-annual-national-youth-tobacco-survey
