Columbus, OH — While problems like funny smells in the hallways, secret hangouts in the restrooms, and the need for an online hall pass system may have sounded ridiculous a few decades ago, they are now all too real at schools like THS. The introduction of vaping has created an unmatched substance abuse problem that students and staff alike are tired of trying to address. According to principal Scott Davie, “Vape devices have made it easier for people dealing with nicotine addiction and those who want to use nicotine more discreetly” — in other words, they are uniquely marketable to highschool students. Several weeks ago, principal Davie travelled to the Ohio Statehouse to speak in front of state lawmakers on the pressing issue of illegal vape sales to minors. 

Davie’s speech aimed to promote Ohio House Bill 258, a piece of legislation that, if passed, will increase the fines for businesses that repeatedly sell these products to minors. Davie called this measure “narrowly focused”, but says that it still “represents a positive step forward”. Regarding longer term solutions, he stated that “The Supreme Court is currently reviewing the production of flavored vapes, but we may not see a decision until June 2025”. However, these signs of progress are limited. According to Davie, “Recent legislative changes have created a higher volume of available products”, so it’ll be up to initiatives such as Bill 258 to turn this trend around moving forward. In the meantime, unfortunately, “the responsibility will continue to fall on parents, guardians, and schools to educate the youth of tomorrow”. Even with the current lack of regulation on a state and national level, we can always take action in our own families and communities to spread awareness of the dangers of these products, and attempt to protect additional youth from falling victim to them in the way that many already have.

Notably, Davie’s speech did not seem concerned with punishing students themselves for the use of these products. He expressed that “current disciplinary measures “predominantly focus on the end user, the student, and fall short of addressing the issue at its root, which is the point of sale”. After all, highschool students are merely the targets and victims of these products, not the ones marketing and selling them illegally. Davie stressed that “one of my primary responsibilities is the health, safety, and welfare of students and staff”, and cited many of the ways in which these priorities are threatened by vaping — some of which may not be known by the user. For example, Davie cautioned that “we recently discovered that products students believe are nicotine vapes contain trace amounts of THC”, meaning that users may be exposed to additional dangerous health effects against their own consent. Furthermore, these users are not the only ones harmed — Davie expressed a multitude of impacts that dealing with this issue has had upon the careers and productivity of school staff as well.

For example, vaping-related disciplinary action “interrupts the learning environment due to suspensions or loss of instructional time”, Davie said. Vaping is a disruption and a distraction in the daily flow of highschool learning. Additionally, actions by staff such as patrolling restrooms and conducting searches all take away from time that could be directed towards education and instruction. 

While the policies and regulations affecting this issue may seem bleak, the victims themselves may be showing signs of progress. According to Davie, “Research indicates that students are becoming more aware of the dangers of vaping and that use has decreased”. After all, the fate of our generation lies inevitably in our own hands: “Every individual must take ownership of their choices”, Principal Davie concluded. While the development of more secure regulations may be an ongoing process, the decisions we make as the targeted victims of these sales can help us protect ourselves — and those around us — from the harmful products that remain available to us.