Concerned Ontario high schooler wants stricter consequences for students who vape

A LaSalle 12th Grader is applauding the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit for issuing tickets to seven students caught vaping on school properties.

Petar Bratic, who goes to Sandwich Secondary School, said the use of e-cigarettes have become increasingly common over the last year.

"Every type of student does it, even the good students," said Bratic, like his friend who "has a 98 in calculus."

His observations led him to make a presentation at the last Board of Trustees meeting at the school board, about the issue of vaping among students.

Some places students use e-cigarettes include washrooms and even in classrooms with the teacher present, according to Bratic.

Superintendent of education with the Greater Essex County District School Board Sharon Pyke said it's becoming "more and more difficult to detect" who's vaping and who isn't, and the devices have become much smaller and more easily concealable.

"And well, if you asked me that a year ago, I'd say we don't have a problem with it. But this year looks different," she said.

Pyke said there are more reports of students vaping on school buses or on school property recently. Both Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit and Windsor-Essex County Health Unit have said they're receiving more calls from schools about students vaping as well.

In a survey Health Canada conducted in 2016-17, 10 per cent of students in grades 7 to 12 reported having used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days.

For Bratic, this increase in vaping behaviour is affecting his days at school because it's distracting for him -- with some students blowing smoke rings when the teacher isn't looking, and the various scents from e-cigarettes that linger in his surroundings.

Not only that, he's worried about "second-hand vape."

According to Eric Nadalin, manager of chronic disease and injury prevention at Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, they're concerned about youth drawn to the use of e-cigarettes, because "many of these products can contain nicotine."

"So it's possible that kids are becoming addicted to these products, and are becoming dependent on them," he said.

According to Bratic, schools need to become stricter when it comes to enforcing the guidelines around vaping.

He was glad to see that schools in Chatham-Kent called in the public health unit to issue those fines to students violating the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.

In the long term, Bratic thinks there needs to be more talk about the harmful consequences of vaping "that's right in their face."

"Sit them down and talk about the issue. Give them the hard facts," he said. One example he gave was a teen whose father said an e-cigarette exploded while his son was using it.

Bratic said he has the photo of the teen saved on his phone to show his peers when the topic comes up.

"We need more education," he said.