Teacher Chicago Suburb Yesterday
Last night I confiscated the second e-cigarette from my son. I don't know enough about them and am concerned that, like cigarettes in the early years of marketing, the dangers of the chemicals used in the inhaled liquid will not be known for quite some time. He also had a vial of 0% liquid with mango flavor. I think the taste is appealing to him, and he is sixteen. I am also concerned he is adding [

] to the liquid, but how can I know? Do I take it to the police to ask them? I think the zero percent refers to the amount of nicotine, which makes me more suspicious. He bought them at a local gas station two blocks from his high school. We talked to him about nicotine addiction and the dangers of a child ingesting the liquid or it being absorbed into a person's skin. We also talked about how it contains other chemicals- we read the ingredients and noted that there is not enough research on the effects of inhaling these chemicals. I do not know if a total ban is in order because perhaps they do help people quit smoking, but eliminating the flavors and a zero percent solution that seems to serve no purpose other than allowing young people to mask the smell of [m

] appears in order. At least with [m

], I can smell it and identify when one of my students, or my children, have been smoking.
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Josh Hill is a trusted commenter
Yesterday
Teacher, I haven't heard of people adding [

] to e cigarette fluid -- where would they get it? -- although it will eventually happen.
Honestly, your kid is 16. if he wants to smoke [m

] or
vape you aren't going to be able to stop him. Studies find that neither authoritarian nor laissez-faire approaches are optimal in preventing smoking. Rather, parental engagement is what works. Don't lecture, ask him what he and his friends are doing, discuss, learn from him and pass on the information you have. Your opinion does matter to him, but only when it seems honest, informed, and respectful of his experience. He's 16, not six, and if you take the authoritarian approach with him or become hysterical over a risk that he sees as minor he's just going to ignore you and do what he wants.
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Jonny Tempe 23 hours ago
If he was smoking 0% solution, it sounds like you're doing an okay job teaching him the dangers of addiction. Inserting ... into the blend on one's own would require an amount of sophistication and equipment that your child probably doesn't possess at 16, even if he is incredibly gifted. Calm down before advocating a blanket ban, and think about all the people whose liberty you will be diminishing; don't let your fears get the best of you.
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