Recently, there has been a trend at Rockville High School of students using E-Cigarettes or vaporizers on school premises. Specifically, many students are using JUUL pens, which look alarmingly similar to ordinary objects like a USB flashdrive or a Wifi device. You must be 18 years or older to purchase these devices in a store or 21 years or older to purchase online. However, this has not stopped students under the age of 18 from getting their hands on these devices.
JUULs can be easily hidden and will only give off a faint smell of the pod flavor (such as mango, mint, or strawberry) when being used. JUUL use poses a major concern for youth nicotine addiction. One pod (approximately 200 puffs) is equal to one pack of cigarettes. Nationwide, statistics show that many teens start using e-cigarettes or vaporizers and then start smoking regular cigarettes after becoming addicted. An additional concern is the ease of “jailbreaking” these devices to replace regular nicotine pods with marijuana oil, with several videos online that walk you through exactly how to do this.
Vernon ROCKS, in partnership with Rockville High School administrators and the School Resource officer worked to combat this issue by bringing a “Hidden in Plain Sight” demonstration to the principal’s parent advisory meeting on 2/6/18. The meeting educated parents on these devices and other things to look out for in their children’s bedroom and/or car. The principal also sent out an email to all RHS parents alerting them of this trend and reminding them that it goes against school policies to use these devices on school property. Students will be face consequences ranging from in-school suspension for first-time offenders, to multiple days of out-of-school suspension for repeat offenders.
