By Lauren Young
Staff writer
The rise of vaping and the use of e-cigarettes by teens in Central New York has caused concerns from parents and administrators in the Fayetteville-Manlius school district. The district last week issued a letter to parents on the issue.
“We are concerned about the growing use of electronic cigarettes, such as JUULs, among young people in our Fayetteville-Manlius community,” said the letter signed by Executive Principal of F-M High School Raymond W. Kilmer, Principal Melissa Corbin of Wellwood and Principal Maureen McCrystal of Eagle Hill.
The possession of e-cigarettes is a violation according to the school’s code of conduct, and the district is “concerned about the potential health risks associated with their use.” One brand of electronic cigarettes in particular, JUUL, has increased in popularity due to its ability to be easily disguised as a USB flash drive.
“Parents and students may be under the impression that since there is no tobacco in these devices, they pose little health risk. However, each pod contains approximately 50 mg of nicotine, which is equivalent to the amount in one pack of cigarettes,” said the letter. The district urges parents to educate themselves on the topic and learn the autonomy of an e-cigarette so they can discuss it with their children.
JUULs are currently sold at several gas stations through the area, including in Cazenovia, Chittenango, Canastota and Dewitt. Juul Labs is currently trying to combat underage use of its products but employing age verification technology on their website to block anyone from under 21 purchasing their products.
“It’s a huge epidemic,” said one F-M parent whose child was caught at the high school with a vape pen and suspended.
“I think it definitely needs to be addressed,” the parent said. “Almost everyone at the school does it.”
The F-M mother also knows a Jamesville-DeWitt student that was suspended for having a vape pen on school grounds.
“They don’t think it’s like smoking cigarettes and that it’s unhealthy, but it is,” she added.
