Generally, I’m not one to judge. If you think something is cool, then I won’t say otherwise. As long as it doesn’t do damage to yourself or others, it’s all good.

     However, in the case of vaping, it’s different. Vaping can quite literally kill you, and nobody seems to care about that fatal consequence.

     It’s not a new fact that vaping is harmful. According to clevelandclinic.org, vape juice (the liquid used in vapes) can contain a multitude of chemicals, including carcinogens (chemicals that cause cancer), “acrolein, diacetyl and diethylene glycol,” which are chemicals that cause lung disease, “heavy metals” such as nickel and lead, and more. 

     Now, if you want to put metal in your lungs, then go for it; I can’t stop you. However, is the ‘thrill’ of vaping worth losing your lungs for? In 2017, a then 17-year-old Daniel Ament made national headlines for being the first person to receive a double-lung transplant due to the consequences of vaping, according to Time Magazine. Before this, doctors had not seen the damage that vaping could cause. According to Dr. Hassan Nemeh, a thoracic surgeon at Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital, “[Ament’s lungs] were so scarred they didn’t even deflate. It was definitely a different kind of damage than we usually see. This lung was literally solid as if it was made out of truck-tire rubber.” If not for the hospital’s quick access to an organ donor, Ament would have died.

     Not only is the act of vaping itself dangerous, but the way some people conduct the act is downright gross. The other day, I watched a girl in the bathroom come out of a stall and hand a vape to another girl, who then went into the same stall to vape. 

     Really, you guys? Are you that desperate for a hit that you’ll share a vape for it? Not even the anti-vaping ads you see on Instagram stoop to that level.

     That just goes to show how addictive these vapes are. According to hopkinsmedicine.org, “Nicotine is the primary agent in regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and it is highly addictive. It causes you to crave a smoke and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore the craving.” 

     We all know how frequently people leave class to go vape in North Harford. The number of times people have been caught vaping in the bathrooms is so high that Mrs. Chandler and Mrs. Harward called it out during their skit at the talent show. That is why the vaping phenomenon needs to end here. Not only does it possess the capabilities to end the lives of teenagers (who seemingly do not know nor care about the risks), but the people who do it aren’t even that slick. People can see you, and it’s a miracle that most people don’t care enough to snitch.

     So, while you may think you’re getting points for being “cool,” or “grown-up,” please know that all you’re gaining from vaping is the ridicule of all the adults in the building, as well as a nicotine addiction.

     Make it like Mrs. Chandler sang at the talent show, and go easy on that vape.