The Vaping Crisis in Global Education, and here at AST

If you were to ask high school students about the major problems confronted by schools 10 years ago, they would probably say bullying, discrimination, or social exclusion. Vaping probably wouldn’t even be on their radar, and most would not even know what vaping was in the first place. Over the past couple of years, however, vaping has become a major conflict faced by students globally. The speed at which this practice has spread throughout the world is nail-biting to say the least. In fact, according to WebTribunal, the usage rate of vaping products has increased by a whopping 600% over the last 10 years. This comes as the products become ever more popular among teenagers and as the true long-term consequences of vaping on the body are still vastly unknown.

Like millions of schools worldwide, vaping is a crisis that is faced in our own AST community. This could come as a result of the emergent popularity of the activity here Honduras throughout the past couple of years.

As popular demand for the product increases globally, national sales for the product also increase in correlation. The accessibility and ease by which these products are bought and sold can also account for the product’s popularity among teenagers. Local vaping shops and stores usually sell these products to teenagers despite the fact that they are prohibited for this age group. Nonetheless, the most influential reason why these products are held by teenagers could be because of the myth that vaping products are “healthier” than the traditional cigarette. Not only is this assumption wrong, but according to Medical News Today about 2,800 deaths have been associated with vaping since 2020, and that number is only rising.

So, if this is a dangerous crisis faced globally as well as internally at our school, what steps should we be taking to prevent it?

According to one survey from 2021, about 60% of 15-24 year olds in the United States reported that they want to quit vaping. Although these numbers were reported from another country, we can infer that they might correlate with the situation here in Honduras, meaning that we need options for kids who want to quit but find it difficult.

On the other hand, institutions like Truth Initiative, which is dedicated to helping stop the vaping epidemic, believe that convincing teenagers to stop vaping is difficult as there has not been much time to develop effective ways to do it. However, one solution that the organization pointed out is implementing the QuitTogether movement on a large scale. By joining this initiative, TikTok influencers and other recognized figures across social media have come out to share their experiences with vaping. Since teenagers are usually influenced by what they see online, this movement could be crucial to decreasing vaping usage among the demographic. Other solutions like completely prohibiting vaping products in Honduras or holding weekly check-ups in the school could be effective, but these solutions are less realistic.

One thing is for certain, though: If you know someone who is vaping and think they might be addicted, be sure to check on that person. Sometimes talking to a friend can be really helpful and actually motivate them to quit. At the end of the day, all of us are bound together through the AST Eagle Family, and we should work to help our peers who have fallen into this dangerous practice.

If you are tempted to begin vaping, either because of your school workloaad, peer pressure, or stress, I encourage you to be mindful, and I suggest that you simply don't do it. Nothing is worth damaging your health, and vaping could take you steps closer to trying even more dangerous things. Vaping might relieve stress for a short moment, but it won’t solve any of your problems, and will only lead to negative side effects that affect your health, perhaps even your memory and learning. It is especially important for you to focus on your classes and your future rather than getting hooked on an addictive substance that will only lower your chances of reaching your maximum potential. It's not easy to resist temptation, but when you finish high school and enter college I bet you won’t regret the decision you’ve made.

As Abraham Maslow said: “Quitting smoking can be a very good test of one's character. Pass the test, and you will have accomplished so much more than just getting rid of one bad habit.”