Morgan Hill School Official Host Forum On Teen Vaping
MORGAN HILL (KPIX 5) -- With vaping is becoming a growing problem on school campuses, on Tuesday night a South Bay school district was taking steps to keep parents in the loop.
The popularity of vaping among teens has gotten so bad across the nation, the Morgan Hill school district is taking a proactive approach to the problem.
Teens are having no problem getting their hands on the devices which are used for vaping. E-cigarettes typically contain nicotine, but people can also use them to vape marijuana.
"It's a problem that's affected my family. And so we try to combat it with education, because the industry can outspend us," said Morgan Hill parent Tom Ansbro.
The problem led the Morgan Hill School District to hold a forum Tuesday night for parents to learn about vaping. In California, you must be 21 years old to use e-cigarettes.
"I think one of the big misconceptions is that they assume that it's just vapor and it's not impacting their physical well-being and their mental well-being," said student services coordinator for the Morgan Hill School District Jesse Swift. "The research is showing that the chemicals that are in there are having impact on brain development, having impact on attention."
Just last month, the FDA announced that vaping had reached epidemic levels among teens and threatened to crack down on manufacturers if they don't come up with plans to reduce teen use.
"I've seen like kids use it around campus," said student Damarco Evans.
The devices are discreet because they can look like USB drives. Also they release an odorless water vapor.
When asked if he had advice for parents, Damarco's grandfather Joseph Evans said, "Other than check your kids, check their backpacks, know what they're doing."
If students are caught vaping on campus, the Morgan Hill School District says it is a suspendable offense. If marijuana is involved, teens will also face a fine from the juvenile court system.