Over the past few years, vaping has become a major issue in high schools across the country. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), commonly known as vapes, are battery-powered devices that work by heating an “e-juice.” According to the American Lung Association, these “e-juices” often contain nicotine or cannabis, along with other chemicals and artificial flavorings, which produce an aerosol that users inhale. Nicotine and cannabis are both highly addictive substances that present large threats to the neuro health of teenagers whose brains are still developing.
The prevalence of vaping in schools, particularly in unsupervised locations such as restrooms, is high. Major factors behind the teenage vaping epidemic are targeted advertisements toward youth and the ease of obtaining vape products online. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2024, 7.8 percent of high school students in the U.S. used e-cigarettes. While there is an established policy, the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) must take further action to prevent vaping in restrooms and restore them as safe, accessible spaces for all students.
Senior Marley Nacco is one of many who have had ongoing experiences with students using the restroom as a place to vape.
“Every day for the past three years, I have seen [students] vaping in the bathroom. There has never been someone not vaping, and it’s [now] progressed to weed,” Nacco said.
All U.S. states have passed laws prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes and tobacco to people under the age of 21. Not only is vaping illegal, but it disrupts the proper use of school bathrooms, making it uncomfortable for students who simply need to use the restroom. According to a March Bark survey, 45 percent of students have felt uncomfortable around peers vaping on campus. Additionally, 47 percent of students believe the administration isn’t doing enough to stop drug use on campus, suggesting a need for improvement.
Addiction, particularly to nicotine, is a serious problem that many teenagers fail to understand before it’s too late. Yale neuroscientist Marina Picciotto explains that many adolescents don’t think they will get addicted to nicotine, but once they want to quit, they find it extremely difficult. Nicotine causes the release of dopamine in the brain, which gives teenagers a “high” feeling and makes them constantly come back for more. While the adolescent brain is developing, its reward system is more sensitive, making nicotine easily addictive.
Not only is vaping highly addictive, but its vapor contains harmful aerosols linked to cancer, lung disease and heart disease. There are currently no federal packaging requirements for vapes, and companies aren’t required to list the ingredients each vape contains. Because of this lack of transparency, it is nearly impossible for a person to know what they are inhaling.
There is also an additional health risk to students inhaling secondhand smoke from peers vaping in the restroom. Effects of secondhand smoke can include acute respiratory infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis, as well as an increase in severe asthma attacks, damage to developing lungs and an increased risk of brain tumors.
Vape detectors are installed in every bathroom on campus. However, they only send email notifications to administrators when triggered and do not make any noise to alert students and faculty. While the administration claims they can’t respond quick enough to some of the more distant bathrooms, they are lacking effort in monitoring the restrooms where most of the vaping occurs.
In an attempt to address the issue, restrooms around campus have been temporarily locked during school hours. This goes against California Education Code 35292.5, which mandates that schools keep all restrooms open during school hours when students are not in class. On the occasion that restrooms are being monitored, the women’s restrooms are left unattended as there are currently no female campus supervisors. If the administration is going to continue to blame their lack of effort on not having enough resources to patrol bathrooms, it’s time for a different approach.
Administrators must enforce vaping policies that align with California state law under Health and Safety Code 104420. This law mandates that school districts adopt and enforce policies prohibiting the use of electronic cigarettes.
A proactive and comprehensive plan must be created to prioritize prevention and enforcement. This effort should be a partnership between the administration and the Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program. TUPE is a state-funded, student-led initiative that educates teens and communities about the dangers of tobacco and vaping through research-based presentations. By combining TUPE’s educational approach with strict enforcement strategies — such as raising awareness to all grade levels, hiring additional staff to monitor restrooms and ensuring students can no longer use restrooms as a place to vape — TUHSD can take effective action.
Restrooms should be safe and accessible places, not lounges for illegal drug use. Real change requires ongoing commitment, consistent consequences and a willingness to listen to those most affected. Only then can TUHSD rebuild a school environment where health, safety and trust aren’t clouded by vape smoke.
