Valencia High School officials are warning parents of a new “vaping” technique that allows teenagers to inhale flavored nicotine with the help of charger cords.
The warning comes after school officials continued to encounter a number of charger cords with the ends cut, exposing the wires inside.
“For your information, kids are using these modified cords to vape directly from a vape cartridge without the need of the vape pen or battery unit,” said school officials.
When curious teens experiment with tobacco, they’re most likely to start with vape pens, also known as e-cigarettes, according to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials, and when that experimentation starts with vaping, kids’ odds of moving on to traditional cigarettes jump.
A new study shows that children who thought they’d never smoke, often do after trying e-cigarettes.
Researchers say e-cigarettes are the most popular way for teens to smoke given that they’re “aggressively advertised.” Almost all “vape juices,” the liquid that is poured into the small device, come in a variety of flavors that add to their appeal.
Although it’s illegal to sell them to people under the age of 18, the study found that more than half of eighth- to 10th-graders said they are “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain.
“It suggests vaping may renormalize smoking and erode decades of progress in reducing smoking rates,” according to Henry Mayo officials.
Valencia High School staff members noted it’s important to stay informed about the dangers of vaping.
“If you see cords like this on your child, it is probably not because the dog chewed off the end,” officials added in a post.
William S. Hart Union High School District officials say the warning is a precaution to keep students safe.
“Vaping, as well as the use of any tobacco product, is prohibited on our campuses,” said Dave Caldwell, spokesman for the district. “The administrators at Valencia High School are doing parents a service by letting them know what to look for at home in order to keep students safe and to encourage good choices.”