The pungent grape-scented cloud blows across the face of a high school student, fogging his or her vision for a moment before clear air takes its place. Searching for an answer, the student looks for its source. A short distance away, a young woman looks abashed.

“Sorry,” she says. “Don’t worry, it’s just an E-cig.”

Just an E-cig.

E-cigs, or vaporizers, turn liquid into aerosol which is then inhaled into the body and exhaled into the atmosphere. Vaporizers come in all different shapes and sizes. Fruity flavors and flashy designs appeal to younger smokers in particular and the JUUL pen doesn’t even release the visible vapor, making it easy to sneak into schools where it has become a huge problem.

A healthy alternative to smoking cigarettes? Not so fast. 

There’s a misconception among teens and their parents that vaping is a healthy alternative to traditional smoking, some not even realizing E-cigs contain nicotine at all. But not only do they contain just as much nicotine as cigarettes, they are just as addictive.

Vape liquids also contain cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and diacetyl, which is linked to a serious lung disease. Studies are also finding that vaping is not helping smokers quit as advertised; some studies even show people who start vaping at a young age eventually transition to cigarettes.

The latest report released by the CDC showed 12% of high schoolers are vaping. We don’t doubt that this statistic will most likely go up with the increased popularity of JUULs. Teens already often refer to school bathrooms as “vape lounges” or “JUUL lounges.”

As a result of the growing popularity of vaping among teens, school officials across the county are now trying to figure out a solution to this new problem. Each school has its own policy: students may receive a fine or be sent for a drug screening.

But this is part of the larger problem. Teens are now addicted to nicotine, which affects brain development. A person’s brain is not fully developed until their mid-twenties. As of now, there is no plan for cessation of the manufacturing of vaporizers, which leaves us with youth who are addicted to nicotine and no clear solution to the problem.

There’s no such thing as “just” an E-cig.

(For more information on E-cigs and your health, please contact Jenna Stoner at Prevention Connections in Warren County, a program of Family Guidance Center, jstoner@fgcwc.org.)