JUUL E-Cigarettes Are Popular in Chicago High Schools, but Their USB-Like Design Makes Supervision D

 　　Recently, more and more high school students in Chicago have been secretly vaping. Because vaping devices look like USB drives and do not produce obvious smoke, they are harder for schools to detect, raising greater concern that students may become addicted to nicotine.

  　　Several high schools in the Chicago suburbs have reported a noticeable increase in students secretly using vaping devices on campus in recent months. Hinsdale Central High School in the western suburbs said it found more than 30 vaping devices at school this January, compared with only single-digit numbers in previous years. Naperville Central High School reported that 20 students have already been disciplined this year for secretly vaping, whereas in past years there was only one case per year.   　　A female student at Naperville North said a friend dragged her into the restroom and urged her to try JUUL. She had never even heard of it at the time, and when her friend explained that it was an e-cigarette, she refused. Since then, she has often seen classmates using it. She also said that all kinds of students use e-cigarettes because they are just so popular.   　　Naperville Central principal Welsh said he had seen students drip JUUL liquid into tequila or vodka, inhaling alcohol and nicotine into their lungs together. “This kind of dangerous and reckless behavior can no longer be stopped by school discipline alone,” Welsh said with concern.   　　Illinois law prohibits minors under 18 from smoking, while Chicago has raised the age to 21. But that has not stopped people from secretly bringing e-cigarettes onto campus. These products are especially easy to buy online, and many flavors are specifically designed to appeal to young people, such as chocolate, mango, strawberry, and caramel.   　　The appearance of these new vaping products is also very misleading, making them hard for many parents to identify. JUUL vaping devices look like USB drives, while other devices resemble highlighter pens or oversized lipstick tubes.   　　Recently, several high schools in the Chicago suburbs trained faculty and staff to identify vaping devices. Schools also sent letters to every parent warning them about the spread and dangers of vaping. School administrators have also increased restroom inspections. Unlike traditional cigarettes, vaping devices do not produce visible smoke or leave odors on clothing. They are nearly smokeless and odorless, leaving only a slight fruity scent, and can easily be hidden in a sleeve.   　　In January, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report stating that teenagers who use e-cigarettes are more likely to move on to traditional cigarettes and are also more likely to develop addiction. Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement urging parents to familiarize themselves with the names and appearance of different vaping products, saying these products are especially harmful to still-developing brains.   　　Stevenson High School, regarded as one of the best public high schools in Illinois and located in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago, has had several students lobby local lawmakers to raise the legal smoking age in Illinois to 21. Local State Senator Julie Morrison introduced the bill, which is now awaiting a final vote in the Illinois legislature.   　　JUUL said its products are intended to provide adult smokers with an alternative and were not designed for teenagers.