Many things have changed at KHS in the past couple of years, such as drug testing and the addition of a campus drug dog.

In the 2018-19 school year, there seemed to be a growing issue with vaping, and vapes being used on school property. Any form of drugs, alcohol or weapons are prohibited on all school properties.

As a result of the usage of vapes, the school with Kilgore Police Department has implemented and welcomed the use of a drug dog, Officer Ruger, who can sniff out a variety of drugs, among those being nicotine.

This year, during the random drug tests, students are tested for a range of drugs including nicotine. These two additions have helped cut down on vaping, but there are means to which students still have the ability to access nicotine.

Teenagers are unaware of the consequences of vaping. Many don’t even know that it can potentially be harmful. The damage ranges from nicotine addiction to extensive health problems and even death. According to Drug Abuse, 13.7 percent of teenagers admittedly don’t know what’s in their E-cigarette and manufacturers aren’t required to report the ingredients. This implies that whether or not the ingredients are known, the chemicals inside the vape can cause any kind of unknown harm.

Teenagers are more prone to turn to vaping because they don’t necessarily consider it a drug. However, the brain continues to develop through one’s twenties, and the harmful chemicals of E-cigarettes can have deficits on the brain that makes it harder to concentrate and can permanently change one’s ability to control impulses in the future, according to Kids Health.

The most recent, and significant, effect of teenagers vaping is chronic chest pains and lung disease.  According to Harvard Health Publishing, close to 200 users of E-cigarettes have been diagnosed with lung disease and that number is increasing. Furthermore, Cone Health performed a study that found vaping to increase one’s risk of a heart attack. If you vape, there is a 59 percent risk of chest pain or a heart attack.

No matter the brand of vape, the juice flavoring, or the substance in it, there is no way to know what you are putting into your body and the way it will affect you. It has been known to cause chemical irritations as well as allergic and immune reactions.

Such a device that can do unknown, harmful things to one’s body and is extremely unpredictable should not be of interest to anyone – especially teenagers. Nicotine is an addictive chemical, defined as a stimulant drug that speeds up messages sent between the brain and the body. The Alcohol and Drug Foundation has stated that it might be more addictive than heroin.

Teenagers have easy access to the drug and are less intimidated by it because it seems to be a safer option when compared to other drugs, yet it should be more threatening because its components and affects remain unknown.

According to the New York Times as of Oct. 9, 24 people have died because of vaping and 1,080 people have suffered illnesses related to vapes. Symptoms of a vaping-related illness include coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fever, fatigue and weight loss.

If you or someone you know vapes and has the following symptoms, stop and seek a medical professional because the damage could already be done.