Vaping crackdown: Fort Worth students to see harsher discipline for having e-cigarettes
School officials have advised Fort Worth students and parents of a new state law that will enforce stronger disciplinary action for students caught with vaping devices.
The policy affecting third grade through 12th grade requires students to be placed in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program if they have an electronic cigarette, also known as an e-cigarette or a vape pen, with them at school, according to the Fort Worth Independent School District.
E-cigarettes usually contain nicotine and other harmful substances that produce an aerosol for users to inhale, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The long-term health effects are still being studied since e-cigarettes are fairly new products, but it is known that nicotine can harm brain development in adolescents and young adults.
If a student is found with a vaping device that does not contain THC, they will face a one-day intervention through the district’s On Campus Intervention program, which addresses behavioral issues by placing students in a separate classroom with a certified teacher, intervention specialist and campus administrator.
THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is a hallucinatory chemical that is the most active ingredient in marijuana. Vaping devices found with THC will warrant harsher punishments for students.
A student found with up to two vaping devices with THC will face a one-day intervention either through the On Campus Intervention program or the Metro Opportunity School, the district’s alternative campus.
Additionally, a student found repeatedly with up to two vaping devices containing THC “will be subject to a disciplinary period of 15 days at the Metro Opportunity School,” according to district officials. Students found with three or more devices containing THC will go to the alternative campus for 20 days.
The law went into effect Friday, but students were out of class because of a teacher preparation day. They will return on Tuesday after Labor Day.
“If you suspect that your child may be struggling with substance abuse, we encourage you to reach out to your school counselor. We are here to support your family with resources and assistance to address any concerns you may have,” officials said in a statement.
The issue of school-age children getting hooked on vaping devices partly stems from marketing tactics that hone in on the young demographic, said Matthew Rossheim, an associate professor at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s School of Public Health.
“(The tobacco industry) is making it look cool in the types of products they sell. They’re flavored products. They’re on social media through influencers. They’re on the types of shows that young people watch,” he said.
Moreover, the 2018 federal Farm Bill had legalized growing hemp but only specified limitations on one type of THC, known as delta-9. As a result, a legal and unregulated market of a different type of THC — delta-8 — took off through products such as vaping devices.
“In Texas, there’s almost no regulation on the marketing and retail sales of these psychoactive cannabis products, including in vaping devices and in edibles as well,” Rossheim said. “Even if the stores decide not to sell to children, just as a store policy, young people can get these online very easily.”
The new state law focusing on disciplinary action in schools is a step in the right direction since it does not criminalize the issue, Rossheim said, but it also does not address the root of the problem that requires preventive and rehabilitative measures.
“This isn’t getting at the underlying issues of marketing and access and addiction,” he said. “If students are using these on campus, it’s probably because they are experiencing addiction from the highly addictive type of nicotine in these products.”
