Vaping clogs lungs, toilets
Vaping clogs lungs, toilets
“If teens are vaping as a means of coping with stress or anxiety, we want to encourage them to find better, healthier options for stress management,” health teacher Lynette Velasquez said.
“If teens are vaping as a means of coping with stress or anxiety, we want to encourage them to find better, healthier options for stress management,” health teacher Lynette Velasquez said.
Haeun Ko
Cub Reporter
Posted April 13, 2026
Despite risks to their health and risks of suspension, students are vaping in restrooms and classrooms.
Vaping was introduced to the U.S. in around 2006 and peaked in popularity in 2019. According to the Alcohol Drug Foundation, 30% of high school students have tried vaping at least once and according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey, nationally about 1.63 million high school students currently use e-cigarettes.
Students have reported others vape in the bathroom, cars in the parking lot, and sometimes in classrooms.
“They usually sit in the back of the class so they won’t be noticed.” said freshman Tu Ha.
“As soon as we left the classroom during class, I saw a couple boys get behind the classroom door and share a vape,” said senior Mario Aguilar Gasque.”The teacher was already a bit ahead so she didn’t see them.”
“I saw a lot of teenagers vaping,” said Hong Nguyen, a freshman, “some of their eyes even got red after they vape.”
The student handbook states that students are prohibited from any kind of tobacco use, including electronic cigarettes, within 1.000 feet of the school. If students violate the policy they’ll be suspended or expelled from school.
DDHS has a suspension alternative program which has an education component. If the student first got caught vaping, there’s no suspension, only three drug classes. If the student refuses to attend the class or miss it, they get a one day suspension. If a student gets caught a second time they face an automatic one day suspension, and three drug classes. If the students refuse they additionally get three drug classes, and a 30 day activity suspension.
“I don’t think the school could ever properly enforce anti vaping rules because they’re really easy to hide, ” said junior Joan Smith.“Only when they search every student, but that would go against a lot of state and national laws.”
“This year 62 students got caught,” said assistant principal Joe Talley. “The numbers are similar every year, but I can feel the number increased in the last five years.”
“The school has had a higher percentage of vaping cannabis than other states,” said drug and alcohol counselor Ashely Cohen. “because of the Oregon law.”
Oregon became the first state to decriminalize cannabis in 1973 and legalized it in 2014.
The number one reason why students are referred to the Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor is when they get in trouble for vaping. The first time they are caught, students listen to general education of effects in vaping, definitions of addiction, and what nicotine and cannabis are for one hour in a group. Students with a second offense personally meet the counselor for 30-45 hours and counselors focus on the student’s own unique scenarios and experience, mental health triggers such as people and places, and teach ways to manage and cope with their mental health. The class takes place once or twice a week.
Students can also get extra help from other agencies out of school. The school usually recommends ‘4D recovery’, ‘Lifeworks NW’, or ‘Madrona Recovery’ if the student needs additional care.
Teenagers get there first influence starting vaping from marketing, ads, family, peers, and social media, which is called “primary peer pressure,” according to Cohen.
Vaping students influence others to try vaping by recording videos of themselves vaping. Teens who vape can believe it’s a healthier option than smoking cigarettes. The vape companies flavors the vape with fruity, sweet candy, desert, Menthol, and beverage taste. Making wild flavors makes the vape industry grow faster by staying trendy, pulling new generations’ attention.
“Every single day the bathrooms would smell like an artificial sweetener,” said junior Barbara Tirado Mondrago. “They’d also do it in a single stall so the smell was very strong.”
Some e-cigarettes look like USB flash drives, pens, smartphones, highlighters, lipstick toys. Some called “smart vapes” have digital display screens and can include games and reward systems for vaping.
Students get access to vape easily when adults buy it, some stores sell vape to under the age of twenty-one, or steal parents’ vape.
“I frequented a store that was caught,” said parent Andrea Hunt, “The store was plastered with signs explaining their situation.”
At least once a month flushed down vapes back up the pipes in the restrooms. If they need to repair the toilet it costs $200 for the plumber to take the entire toilet off and fix the pipe.
“Probably students should pay for the damage,” said North head custodian Kert Keller, “but we haven’t caught students yet.”
“If teens are vaping as a means of coping with stress or anxiety, we want to encourage them to find better, healthier options for stress management,” health teacher Lynette Velasquez said. “We want to enable our students to make healthy life choices.”