Editorial: Schools need to alter policies to address e-cigarette use

7:47 PM, Jan. 28, 2014  |  Comments
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The use of electronic cigarettes among our youth is increasing. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report last year showed that the number of middle and high school students who experimented or recently used e-cigarettes doubled in 2011-12.

That means 1.78 million students have used e-cigarettes as of 2012, the CDC reports.

Yet, some school districts don't specifically ban them.

That may be changing, and that is good news.

A Gannett Wisconsin Media story last week reported that school districts in the Fox Cities are changing their policies governing alcohol, tobacco and other drug use to include e-cigarettes.

At least one school district in Northeastern Wisconsin - Howard-Suamico - specifically names electronic cigarettes in its policy prohibiting tobacco use by students. Its policy mentions "the smoking of electronic, 'vapor,' or other substitute forms of cigarettes."

The Green Bay School District is in the process of reviewing its policies and procedures and code of conduct regarding e-cigarettes. Right now, e-cigarette use falls under the district's ban on "tobacco-like products."

At the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, e-cigarettes fall under the general campus smoking policy.

We believe public schools and universities should specifically include electronic cigarettes in their policies. It would eliminate any loophole or ambiguity that people may try to exploit by saying they aren't consuming a tobacco product.

Plus, it would discourage tobacco use, especially for the surprising number of kids who have tried it or use it regularly.

The Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate e-cigarettes, except those marked for therapeutic uses. However, the FDA is looking to amend the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act so that it can.

E-cigarettes differ from regular ones in that you're not burning paper and tobacco. Users heat a liquid that contains nicotine and inhale the resulting vapor.

We believe they aren't a safe alternative, even though we don't have a bunch of studies to back us up and despite the fact that, as the Mayo Clinic points out, there is little or no regulation of its ingredients.

Users aren't inhaling smoke or other toxins from burning paper or tobacco. But they are inhaling nicotine vapor and nicotine is addictive.


Also, we believe there's a risk that a nicotine addiction can then lead to use of other tobacco products, like regular cigarettes. And in a world where some businesses market tobacco products to youth by making them fruit-flavored and packaging them to look like other candy products, we believe this logic isn't such a big leap.

School districts banning e-cigarettes won't stop some youth from experimenting, but specifically including them in code of conduct sends a message that they aren't acceptable. No addiction is.

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