Vapes are made by Juul Labs, Inc. The devices have become very popular in recent years, especially among young people. Using a juul, also called “Juuling,” can put kids/teens health at risk in several ways. JUUL devices are battery operated and work by heating a pod of e-liquid or “juice” that contains nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals. When heated, the liquid creates an aerosol or vapor that users inhale. Officer Rupert, a resource officer at McPherson high school has been dealing with kids vaping at the school in the 2018-2019 school year, “We have a vaping problem at are school. We don’t do vape test because we have no way to test for it. When people say “vaping is better than smoking. I think it’s a lack of education.”

Many teenagers believe that vaping is healthier than smoking. Not all vapes contain tobacco but there are other cancer causing chemicals in vape juice or e-cigarettes that can have the same outcome. Alexa Allen, Freshman at MHS, said,  “I don’t think it’s any better than smoking, I think it’s gross and I don’t like it.”

Some people say that vaping is bad for you but they don’t know why. A juul/e-cigarette can damage your brain, heart and lungs, and is cancerous. This product contains nicotine and other chemicals that raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline. This increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack. Analicia Rocha, Freshman at MHS, said, “I don’t like it because it’s not good for you and you shouldn’t be doing it in school or at all. It’s wrong, but most people get away with it.”

Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. Madison Dobson, Freshman at MHS, said, ” I don’t think is good it’s like smoking and I think they should have a bigger punishment when people are vaping.” This issue is something that negatively affects the McPherson High School and resource officers like Officer Rupert are working to prevent it from continuing.