Electronic nicotine delivery systems have become a growing issue in the United States today. The systems are liquid products that are heated with a battery-operated device that then creates a vapor as output.
The liquid inhaled comes in many flavors and are easy to hide which sparks the interest of the youth. Examples of vaping systems include; e-cigarettes, e-cigars, JUUL, e-hookah, and more. The vaping systems look like regular cigarettes or cigars but can also be disguised as pens, flash drives, and more (Reese, 2018).
The low-key nature of the system allows for use without much fear of being caught. This is a dangerous phenomenon as students often use the devices in open spaces.
At Salisbury University in particular, I have witnessed the use of the electronic nicotine delivery systems multiple times. It made me wonder, “Why do they do that when it’s not good for their health?” I asked this question to many students on campus. The most common answer seemed to be, “At least I don’t smoke cigarettes.”
I soon realized that the students did not know the dangers of vaping. I learned that students vape because they believe that it is significantly less harmful than cigarettes in addition to the many appealing flavors and smells.
In fact, students call cigarettes “cancer sticks” and stay away from it when possible. Because of the terrible health issues that cigarettes cause, students have chosen to not smoke it and I believe we should use this same approach for vaping.
Although vaping does not have the same negative reputation as cigarettes do, it has many of the same effects. According to John Hopkins’ All Childrens Hospital, The electronic nicotine delivery systems contain several chemicals, one of those being nicotine.
Nicotine is an addictive chemical that disrupts the development of the brain of young people. Like cigarettes, vaping devices cause harm to the lungs and contains chemicals that can cause cancer.
Important information such as this needs to be delivered around campus so the students can not be blind to the repercussions of vaping devices.
In order to confront this issue, workshops and information sessions can be put in place to educate the student body of the harmful effects of vaping devices.
Currently, Salisbury University puts together educational workshops on diversity, sexual abuse, domestic violence and many more so vaping can very well be added to the list as it is now a leading issue on campus.
For the message of vaping’s negative effects to resonate with students, the information needs to be delivered through a medium that they would be interested in. An example would be in the form of a play or skit.
During my experience as an Orientation Leader, I received many positive feedback from the incoming freshmen on the sexual consent play held in Holloway hall. Since the show was entertaining yet informative, the students were able to enjoy it while learning from it as well.
This seemed to be a very effective approach that the university can recreate to inform students of the dangers of vaping devices.