Substance use in bathrooms has been on the rise at Redwood. In the first eight weeks of the 2025-26 school year, a generous number of students have been found in possession of vapes or substances. 

“More students have been found in possession in the first two months of this year than in any year since the vaping epidemic started. [Redwood] is on pace to have more students found in possession than the previous high of 36 in the 2018-19 school year,” said Jonathan Hirsch, Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) advisor.

According to assistant principal Lisa Kemp, from Aug. 20 to Oct. 21, 13 students have been caught with nicotine products, such as E-cigarettes. In addition, 11 students have been caught with possession or use of controlled substances, and one student was suspended after committing their second offense of having a nicotine or drug product. 

This is not a Redwood-specific issue; the vaping epidemic has been prevalent since 2018, and recreational drug use has been just as noticeable. As of 2024, 1.21 million or 7.8 percent of high school students across the United States currently use E-cigarettes, and as of 2022, 30.7 percent of 12th graders have used cannabis products in the past year. Additionally, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 6.3 percent of 12th graders used cannabis daily in the past 30 days. 

However, there’s another player in the ever-changing drug world that Hirsch has seen gaining popularity: Zyns. These tiny oral nicotine pouches can be placed on the inside of one’s lip and deliver an instant hit of nicotine through the bloodstream. A past study by The American Lung Association (ALA) found a 641 percent increase in Zyn sales from 2019 to 2022, confirming Hirsch’s speculations about their increase in prevalence. 

Zyns can have detrimental effects; they can harm the brain development of teens and lead to longer-term health problems like gum recession and infection. Beyond causing harmful outcomes such as those mentioned, Zyn pouches are also incredibly addictive; the ALA also found that 73 percent of young adults who have ever used nicotine pouches are currently still using them, indicating how challenging it can be to quit. 

 This was something Hirsch considered when he founded TUPE in 2018, when Redwood had its highest rates of vape use. By 2022, Redwood had the lowest rates across all measured categories (9th graders, 11th graders, lifetime use, current use, and campus use), showing the progress Redwood has made since the establishment of TUPE. 

Hirsch explained the process when students are found in possession of vape or drug products; given two options, students can either take a suspension or have two 30 minute meetings with Hirsch to understand the effects of drug usage. This policy, which extends across the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD), allows students an opportunity to understand the effects of vaping or other substances on both their health and overall well-being, instead of immediate punishment. 

The school bathrooms have always had smoke detectors, but this year, a new brand of detectors called Verkada can be seen that are specifically designed to detect aerosols produced by vaping.

Since the start of this school year, three campus staff assistants have been assigned to various boys’ restrooms while female administrators monitor girls’ bathrooms. Staff assistants and administrators are stationed outside the bathrooms when it is likely to find a student vaping throughout the school day: passing periods, lunch and before and after school.

One of the assistant principals, Lisa Kemp, commented on the purpose of monitoring bathrooms. She stated that this is her fifth year as an assistant principal and has seen an increase in marijuana use that started before COVID. The importance of monitoring the bathrooms relates not only to student health and education on the effects of drug use, but also to the prevention of associating the bathroom with a place to smoke.

“It’s less about busting [students who are vaping], and more about trying to deter them from using the bathroom as a place to vape or smoke,” Kemp said.

Sophomore Ava Bonner was searched Friday Oct.3, before school, after she was found sitting in the bathroom talking with friends. She stated that two female administrators pulled out a group of four girls and brought them to the office to write a statement regarding why they were in the bathroom before going through their bags. Bonner was pulled into a different room so her things could be searched. She was also informed of what would occur following the search.  

“They were pretty fair. They were straightforward that they were going to search me and call my parents,” Bonner said. Bonner was not found in possession of any vape or drug product.

The growing number of students found with vapes or other substances within school bathrooms is an issue that Redwood administration is working to address. Through their efforts of new vape detectors, TUPE’s educational interventions and staff monitoring bathrooms, the aim to educate students and help them make better decisions is clear. 

One of the other assistant principals, Saum Zargar, emphasized the importance of educating the Redwood community regarding vape and drug use. 

“We have an ongoing concern around students vaping in the restrooms,” Zargar said. “Our goal is always to educate students and families around [drug use] so students can make better decisions.”