Mission school principals voiced their concerns about a growing problem with student vaping in a meeting with the district last week.
Mission District 75 Superintendent Angus Wilson issued a memo to parents on Wednesday (Nov. 23) outlining the issues the schools face.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 sort of sad, because in my time as a principal, we watched cigarette smoking kind of fade away. There are still kids that smoke cigarettes but vaping has come along and filled that vacuum,91裸聊视频� Wilson said in an interview.
According to a study done by the McCreary Centre Society in 2020, 27 per cent of students in grades seven to 12 in British Columbia had vaped.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a province-wide concern but also a worldwide concern,91裸聊视频� said BC Lung Foundation91裸聊视频檚 Vice President of Health Programs and Initiatives Dr. Menn Biagtan. 91裸聊视频淭here is a very rapid increase in the number of high school students vaping.91裸聊视频�
Nicotine vapes are more potent than cigarettes and contain other harmful chemicals as well. Wilson says students leaving classes to vape is impacting their capacity to learn and focus.
91裸聊视频淲e have some students that can91裸聊视频檛 go an hour without vaping,91裸聊视频� Wilson said.
91裸聊视频淥ne of the the most important health effects of nicotine is addiction and physical dependence.,91裸聊视频� Biagtan said. 91裸聊视频淲e are worried that there will be more kids vaping because they think it is a less harmful alternative to smoking, but the reality is, it91裸聊视频檚 not really less harmful.91裸聊视频�
Biagtan says the long-term effects of both nicotine and cannabis vapes on the physical and mental health of youth remains unknown because studies are still being completed. However, there is enough information to know that vaping can negatively impact respiratory and neural health.
91裸聊视频淣icotine can affect the developing brain. Normally, our brain develops until about 25 years of age and introduction of nicotine before that age can impair parts of the brain responsible for memory, concentration and control of behavior,91裸聊视频� she said.
Wilson says students congregating in the bathroom to vape disrupts and intimidates their peers who legitimately need to use the bathroom. He says vaping is more difficult to police in schools than cigarettes because e-cigarettes are easily concealed and lack a distinct odor.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 the impact on learning and on the school climate that we91裸聊视频檙e really concerned about and want to try and address,91裸聊视频� Wilson says. 91裸聊视频淲e still have things like suspensions for students that vape but that91裸聊视频檚 not really the solution to prevent vaping.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 no silver bullet. The problem is by the time [you91裸聊视频檙e in high school], I can91裸聊视频檛 just go up ask someone not be addicted anymore. It doesn91裸聊视频檛 work like that. So a lot of the education has to be directed at the upper-elementary and middle school age group.91裸聊视频�
To combat the problem, the school district plans to collaborate with Fraser Health and other local organizations to educate students about the risks of vaping. Schools already display posters of the uglier consequences of smoking, but Wilson says the school board is searching for more long-term solutions to the problem.
91裸聊视频淓ducating our youth about the harmful effects of vaping should be a priority for our education system 91裸聊视频� especially at high school level,91裸聊视频滲iagtan says. 91裸聊视频淭here should also be more regulations in place to increase the age by which people can access tobacco or vaping products. BC Lung is proposing age 21 instead of 19.91裸聊视频�
The BC Lung Foundation has an online vaping prevention toolkit to for parents, students, and teachers at .
dillon.white@missioncityrecord.com
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