When I heard that we were going to lose lunchtime to sit through an assembly about vaping, I was frustrated. I shared the same feelings that some of my peers had: “I know vaping is bad”; “I don’t need to sit through this”. I was expecting the same old lecture about why we shouldn’t vape, but I was actually shocked by some of the statistics and stories the speakers gave to us. I was absolutely horrified by the damages that vaping has caused to some of our peers, but what I found even more appalling was the utter disrespect that some students had towards our speakers.

Let’s recap some of the information from the assembly. New cases of e-cigarette or vaping related injuries arise everyday. A common misconception is that e-cigarettes are not harmful to the user’s health, but over 60 chemicals have been identified in e-cigarettes, and several of these substances are harmful to users. E-cigarettes are also known to explode and cause injuries (“E-cigarettes: Facts, stats and regulations”). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of October 2019, 1,080 lung injury cases and 18 deaths related to e-cigarettes or vaping have been reported to the CDC in the United States (“Outbreak of Lung Injury…”). Staff from our school brought this information to our attention during the assembly. 

Standing up as soon as the bell rang—mid-sentence of our speakers, laughing during the presentation, muttering complaints; were these actions necessary? Our school was informing us and hoping to prevent us from making mistakes that could affect us for the rest of our lives. Yes we lost lunch time, I was upset about it as much as anyone else, but the bottomline is that this gives us no excuse to be disrespectful. I guess students are so caught up in what’s popular nowadays that they can’t even sit and listen to people who are genuinely trying to help them.

Works Cited:

“E-cigarettes: Facts, stats and regulations.” Truth Initiative, 

        truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/e-cigarettes-facts-stats-a

        nd-regulations. Accessed 8 Oct. 2019.

“Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with E-Cigarette Use, or Vaping.” Centers for Disease 

        Control and Prevention, 

        www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html.Accessed 8 Oct. 2019.