School exclusions for vaping and smoking on the rise in New Zealand

December 27, 2022

Par: National Committee Against Smoking

Dernière mise à jour: December 27, 2022

Temps de lecture: 5 minutes

Accroissement des exclusions scolaires pour vapotage et pour tabagisme en Nouvelle-Zélande

An increase in vaping in classrooms and schools has been recorded in New Zealand. It has also been observed in other industrialized countries (United Kingdom, Canada, United States). An increase in exclusions follows this strong growth in vaping among children and adolescents in schools.

In New Zealand, as elsewhere, the explosion in e-cigarette use among young people since 2018 has led to new forms of offences. Vaping in schools, particularly in classrooms, has spread to several countries, particularly those experiencing strong growth in vaping and a sharp decline in smoking among young people. This observation has just been made in New Zealand.

Vaping and smoking contribute to increasing school exclusions

A review of the causes of school exclusions in New Zealand shows that those for vaping and smoking have increased sharply since last year.[1]. These offences have become the third leading cause of school exclusion, behind physical attacks on students and school staff. Exclusions for vaping or smoking more than doubled in the country between 2020 and 2021, from 1,210 to 2,865, and contributed to an increase in the total number of exclusions by 59,%. In addition, 75,% of all exclusions issued include the issue of vaping and/or smoking, either alone or with other reasons. The average duration of these exclusions is five days. Although no proportion is indicated, student vaping appears to be significantly more common than smoking, with smoking prevalence currently at a level historically low in New Zealand.

While lamenting the smoking and vaping of young people, Ben Youdan, director of Action for Smokefree 2025, the local branch of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH-NZ), immediately expressed that exclusions do not seem to him to be the best response to these situations, as young substance users are more in need of inclusive actions.

Incidents as frequent in other countries

School incidents related to vaping appear to be just as common in other industrialized countries. Similar situations have been reported in the United States, the United Kingdom[2], as well as in Quebec[3]Student vaping most often occurs in restrooms and on school premises, but can also occur in classrooms, where it disrupts teachers.

The phenomenon of vaping in classrooms and schools has grown significantly in recent years, prompting the Truth Initiative organization to dedicate a study and a specific report to it.[4]. Focus groups with a sample of US teachers have highlighted numerous situations where students have difficulty concentrating, their attention being diverted by the need to consume, even in class. The teacher and the entire class can also be disrupted by repeated requests from students to leave during class.

The detectability of electronic cigarettes in question

The discretion of some vaping devices (puffs)[5] and pods[6], in particular) sometimes makes vaping situations difficult to detect. Some security equipment companies, such as Verkada, have already invested in this sector in the field of remote surveillance, by offering e-cigarette emission detectors designed to equip toilets and changing rooms in schools or universities.[7].

The spread of uses in schools allows us to assess the difficulties that adolescents who indulge in vaping may encounter. The type of electronic cigarette used can also influence the “craving”[8] and the level of addiction of young vapers. This is what a study suggests, pointing out the more addictive nature of pod-type devices containing nicotine salts and delivering high quantities of nicotine.[9]Puffs, which are very popular with young people, are also said to be affected by this highly addictive nature.

Keywords: vaping, children, adolescents, school environment, New Zealand ©Tobacco Free Generation

M.F.


[1] Gerritsen J, Smoking and vaping drive rise in school stand-downs, RNZ, published December 21, 2022, accessed December 22, 2022. [2] Weale S, Behavior advisor urges English schools to crack down on pupils' vaping, The Guardian, published September 27, 2022, accessed December 22, 2022. [3] Dion-Viens D, More and more students vaping inside schools, Le Journal de Québec, published October 17, 2022, consulted December 22, 2022. [4] Truth Initiative, A classroom crisis: How the youth vaping epidemic is impacting teachers, published on April 27, 2020, consulted on December 22, 2022. [5] Disposable electronic cigarettes [6] Electronic cigarettes with cartridges. [7] Chase J, Student Vaping: How to Detect and Prevent it on Campus, Verkada, published December 7, 2021, accessed December 22, 2022. [8] Inability to stop consuming, compulsive consumption. [9] Tackett AP, Hébert ET, Smith CE, Wallace SW, Barrington-Trimis JL, Norris JE, Lechner WV, Stevens EM, Wagener TL. Youth use of e-cigarettes: Does dependence vary by device type? Addict Behav. 2021 Aug;119:106918. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106918. National Committee Against Smoking |

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