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More and more colleges and universities have passed anti-tobacco or smoke-free policies -- nearly 2300 at last count. Still, many of them might be missing some crucial language.
All smoke-free policies ban community members from using cigarettes while on university campuses. They don't always include language about e-cigarettes.
Administrators are trying to catch up with the growing trend among college students of using e-cigs, commonly known as vapes. The trouble is, they're not even sure how to handle it.
Do you ban vaping as well as cigarettes as part of a smoke-free policy? Do you allow e-cigarettes for a certain amount of time for people who are trying to quit smoking, and then ban them? Which is really best for the college community?
Since Emory is a tobacco-free campus, including the use of vapes, this is an important question to ask. Read on to learn more about the debate surrounding vaping on college campuses.
Is Vaping Bad for You?
Let's start with the main question that needs answering -- is vaping bad for you?
Here's part of the problem that administrators are facing -- the health effects of vaping are still being studied. Cigarettes have been around for a while, so their negative effects are well-known. E-cigarettes and vapes only started gaining popularity in 2011.
That's not enough time for public health professionals to be able to come up with a definitive answer about the effects of vaping on your body. For studies about long-term use, they'll need even more time.
We do know that while vaping isn't as unhealthy as cigarettes, it's still not the healthiest activity you could be participating in. E-cigarettes still contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance. For some models, users might even be getting a higher concentration of nicotine than they would from a cigarette.
Many young people aren't even aware that e-cigarettes can contain nicotine, making the devices even more of a health risk.
Nicotine isn't the only chemical that's in the pod liquid, which raises other concerns. You could also be inhaling artificial flavoring, glycerin, and cancer-causing chemicals.
College students who vape are also more likely to begin smoking regular combustible cigarettes down the line. The number of young people who smoke cigarettes has finally reached an all-time low. Now, researchers and public health officials are worried that we could see a whole new generation still addicted to nicotine.
At a time when you can buy bongs online and "juuling" has become a verb, it's easy to see why.
Public Health Perspectives
There are still administrators and public health officials who warn against banning vapes and e-cigarettes completely. There are some health risks, sure -- but there are also positive reasons to allow their use on campuses.
For one, e-cigarettes are a popular and safe way for people to wean themselves off of traditional cigarettes. Vapes contain nicotine, but not the tar and carbon monoxide that make cigarettes so toxic. They're a good way for people to slowly wean themselves off of nicotine while still keeping up a familiar habit.
Still, you won't break the habit of physically smoking something. Many experts recommend a nicotine patch rather than an e-cigarette.
However, since e-cigarettes have gained popularity in recent years, banning them completely might not be good. Traditional cigarette smokers wouldn't be able to use them to quit.
So what do we know?
Research says that e-cigarettes are good for people trying to quit smoking. If you're young and have never smoked before, stay away. Brains are still developing usually up until the age of 25. Introducing nicotine early increases the risk of a potential addiction later.
University Campuses Weigh In
Regardless of the health outcomes, it's legal for anyone above the age of eighteen to buy and use e-cigarettes. So where should university campuses stand on this issue? Where should Emory be?
On campuses that have already passed smoke-free policies, it's even more important for them to help their students quit smoking. At Duke University, administrators delayed their smoke-free policy enforcement for two years. This gave students more time to quit. Notably, they excluded e-cigarettes from the ban altogether.
Because the only sign of vaping is vapor, banning e-cigarettes is much harder than banning cigarettes. Students can vape in their residence halls, classrooms, and even in public spaces virtually undetected. With traditional cigarettes, the sight and smell of smoke is an automatic giveaway.
If a university banned vaping, they wouldn't be able to enforce it without constantly watching their students.
The vapor produced by e-cigarettes isn't as bad for you as the secondhand smoke produced by normal cigarettes. This supports those who say that students should continue to be allowed to use the devices.
Overall, though, the current vape research has been inconclusive. There are papers warning of the harms of e-cigarette use and studies showing their potential positive effects. This, too, makes it more difficult for universities to make a decision regarding vaping.
Current administrations will have to make a choice. Do they ban all e-cigarettes with the hope that they won't create future smokers? Or write a policy that recognizes the different ways that people use the devices?
It's a difficult decision that each campus will have to reckon with on its own.
Looking Ahead
As researchers, policymakers, and university administrators alike try to wrestle with the question of vaping's popularity with young people, some of the answers they're looking for may come from Emory itself.
Researchers at the Rollins School of Public Health are currently conducting the VAPES (Vape shop Advertising, Place characteristics, and Effects Surveillance) study, which examines how vape shops and online retailers advertise e-cigarettes to college students. Faculty members from Emory and Stanford are leading the study.
Emory students who are interested to learn more about vaping, its effects on the community, and how it has become a part of youth culture on university campuses should be on the lookout for the results of the study once it's published. You can also check the CDC for resources.
Read more of our coverage of e-cigarette use at Emory.
