E-Cigarettes cost more than money

YSLETA+INDEPENDENT+SCHOOL+DISTRICT+IN+ACCORDANCE+WITH+THE+SCHOOL+BOARD+POLICY+DHC+AND+VERONS+TEXAS+COEED+ANNOTATED%2C+SECTION+48.01+SMOKING+TOBACCO+IT+IS+STRICTLY+PROHIBITED+FOR+ANY+PERSON+TO+SMOKE+OR+BE+IN+POSSESSION+OF+A+BURNING+TOBACCO+PRODUCT+ON+SCHOOL+DISTRICT+PROPERTY+

Dennise Muniz-Orozco

YSLETA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD POLICY DHC AND VERON’S TEXAS COEED ANNOTATED, SECTION 48.01 SMOKING TOBACCO IT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED FOR ANY PERSON TO SMOKE OR BE IN POSSESSION OF A BURNING TOBACCO PRODUCT ON SCHOOL DISTRICT PROPERTY

Electronic cigarettes, E-cigarettes, or vapes, are a cigarette substitute for  smokers who are tired of smelling like cigarette ash or want to cut down, but they have a downside.

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that vaporize a liquid solution, giving a smoker the same sensation as a cigarette. However, as with traditional cigarettes, one must be 18 older to purchase an E-cigarette.

Even though some of the liquids vaporized by these cigarettes do not contain nicotine, E-cigarettes are not permitted on school grounds.

Any student caught using an electronic cigarette can expect to be sent to SAC and the device will be confiscated. If the student is under 18, they will be cited for court and suspended.

Even though students are not allowed to have vapes, some use them. E-cigarettes are allowed in most public places such as restaurants and stores, which is why some students believe they have the right to use them throughout the day.

“There’s a time and a place for everything. Vapes shouldn’t be used during a class, but students should have the right to use them before school, during lunch or after school if they are 18 or older,” senior Dorian Novela said.

Nicotine levels can be controlled on an E-cigarette. Some users have cut down on cigarettes and others use the E-cigarette as a method to stop smoking. Unlike cigarettes, vapes don’t smell and don’t leave an after taste, however a unit’s battery or filter can easily malfunction, and malfunctions are dangerous.

If the filter in the vape doesn’t work correctly, the user ends up tasting the solution. If the solution contains nicotine it can potentially poison the user.

“We don’t know what the long term health effects are. It’s safer to ban these products on the campuses as a precautionary approach,” director of the Center for Family and Community Health Josh Moskowitz said.

Abdominal cramps, restlessness, muscular twitching, difficulty breathing, confusion, convulsions, excessive drooling, fainting, headaches, a fast heartbeat, vomiting, sweating cold and feeling weak are symptoms of a user that has been poisoned with the nicotine in a vape’s solution.

“They’re just as bad as cigarettes. You’re just inhaling nicotine and other vapors  It’s a fairly new product so I can’t see 20 years in the future to look for any side effects that e-cigarettes can bring, but I can see that they carry the same risks as any normal cigarette,” Registered Nurse Elizabeth Trevizo said.