VAPE CULTURE: EXTINGUISHING THE TEEN E-CIG EPIDEMIC

New legislation and stringent regulations could be the cure to what Williamson County juvenile officials and school district administrators are calling a vaping epidemic among youths.

"It's getting to be more of a problem, especially with our youth, all the way down to elementary school, and more so in our junior high and high schools,” said Taylor resident Quincy Griffin, a retired shift supervisor at the Williamson County Juvenile Justice Center. "It's kind of a culture with the kids, and it's growing to where now we really have to do something about it."

When electronic cigarettes first hit the U.S. market in 2006, they were simply an alternate way to deliver nicotine — a way to 'smoke' without the cigarette smoke.

For some, they were the first stop on the journey to kick the nicotine habit. For others, they were a means to use nicotine without the negative physical and social effects.

But today, e-cigarettes have become a thriving industry that encompasses not only nicotine but a wide range of flavored smoke products that can appeal to all ages.

In addition to delivering nicotine and flavors, the e-cig business has also evolved to provide THC, also known as Delta-9, the active ingredient that produces the 'high' in marijuana.

While products containing more than 0.3% THC are illegal, CBD extracts and Delta-8 and Delta-10, other cannabinoids that are not illegal, have exploded in popularity and are widely available in places from health outlets to head shops and corner convenience stores.

That's become a big problem when it comes to young people, health experts warn.

According to the Food and Drug Administration’s National Youth Tobacco Survey, 10.1% of U.S. high school students and 4.6% of middle-schoolers used e-cigarettes in 2023, and more than 25% of them used e-cigs daily.

"In young adulthood, vaping is very prevalent," said Caroline North, whose work with the University of Texas at Austin's Tobacco Research & Evaluation Team focuses on factors that increase risk for tobacco use in young adults.

"Many people may not know most vapes contain nicotine, which can negatively impact brain development, and will likely show an increase in heart and lung disease. We are also seeing a rising trend in cannabis vaping," she added.

In Texas, purchasers of tobacco products, e-cigarettes and vaping instruments must be 21 or older, according to state law.

However, officials said young people are certainly finding ways to get vaping devices. Youth vaping has become a serious problem around the country, health officials said.

The teen vaping epidemic is also affecting Williamson County, officials said. Large school districts and even smaller, more rural ones are experiencing the phenomenon's effects.

Educators and others are taking steps to fight back, though.

Thrall (Independent School District) is seeing an uptick in vaping over the past two years, but bans it per student code of conduct," said district Superintendent Tommy Hooker. "There are two levels of use by students that could lead to either suspension, (a) misdemeanor charge or even placement into DAEP (Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs)," Hooker said.

Last year Griffin was part of the STEP UP Texas School Vaping Workgroup in Williamson County, a group of professionals and community members brought together by the county's Juvenile Justice Services to identify resources and come up with strategies to deal with youth vaping.

The result was the Williamson County School Vaping Guide.

"One of the issues, unfortunately, is that vaping is becoming more mainstream," said Matt Smith, assistant executive director of Williamson County Juvenile Justice Services and STEP UP Texas director of judicial and law enforcement engagement.

"The whole mechanism of the vape — it doesn't smell, there's no smoke, so it's easy for kids to conceal it. Delta 8 and 10 are still legal to sell, and in some cases kids are being caught with it and charged with felony offenses for something you can buy in a convenience store,” he said.

Added Smith, “For certain serious felonies on campus, schools are required to send kids to us. (During) the 2022 to 2023 school year we saw a sharp increase in kids being expelled for vaping and sent to our Juvenile Detention Center. That fall, vaping offenses made up 70% of our expulsions. Then you have kids that may be first-time vape users sitting in the same classroom as kids with more serious offenses, like aggravated assault with a deadly weapon."

"The good news," Smith continued, "is this school year, because of a change in legislation, we've seen a significant decrease again — of 35 expulsions this past fall, only seven were for vaping."

The legislative change Smith referenced was part of state House Bill 114, which became law in September.

As the School Vaping Guide explains, “The stated purpose of the bill ... was to insert discretion into these removal decisions."

This allows school districts leeway to impose less serious penalties than expulsion and requires them to consider a child's history before kicking them out.

The news isn't all good, though. "The new issue," Smith said, "is that the DAEPs within the districts are exploding with kids who have been caught with nicotine or THC vapes. All the districts I've heard from are using lots of efforts to detect and deter kids vaping with more education and even treatment programs."

Some of those efforts may be making a difference.

"Schools throughout Texas and across the country are ferociously fighting the battle against e-cigarettes and vapes," said Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen. "However, through prevention, education and intervention methods, Taylor ISD has seen a decrease for the second semester and hopes to continue to see a decline in student usage into next year."

Many local shops are also working to keep vaping products away from underage users.

"We refuse to sell that stuff (Delta 8 and 10). It's not good news. It's making people sick," said Mary Newman, owner of Budee's Smoke & Vape shops in Taylor and Manor.

Bud-ee's also doesn't sell conventional cigarettes.

"We're more like a head shop. We have a lot of pipes, things like that, and therapeutic things like CBD gummies," Newman said. "For some people, vaping is a newer, hipper form of smoking. It's cheaper than cigarettes in the long term, and it has less chemicals. You can basically control your nicotine content with the strength of the juices. We've had quite a few customers go gradually down to zero."

Bud-ee's is very strict about selling to anyone under 21, Newman added.

"We always check IDs, but we still have kids who try to buy. And some places don't card as much as we do,” she added.

The School Vape Guide, which includes many resources for parents, educators and young people, cane be found at https://www.wilcotx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9318/Wilco-School-Vaping-Guide-PDF.