Stealing, suspensions: The vaping crisis rocking Qld teens

Kids as young as 10 are being caught with e-cigarettes as students puff in class on “vape” devices disguised as stationary in a crisis teachers say is the most serious disciplinary issue they have faced. But the state government continues to play it down. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Kids as young as 10 are being caught at school with e-cigarettes as high school students puff in class on smoking “vape” devices disguised as highlighters – with vaping now rated by teachers as the most serious disciplinary issue they have faced.

But despite multiple schools having to resort to detectors in bathrooms and regular interrogations of students with suspicious items, Education Minister Grace Grace says she still thinks vaping is no bigger a problem in the schoolyard than cigarette smoking when she was at school.

However, parents who are worried about the risk of potentially poisonous vaping juices say they are at their wits end, with many recognising their child has become addicted to the dangerous habit.

And so today The Courier-Mail starts a special series to explain all the experts know about vaping to worried parents, and to canvass what can be done.

High schools across the state have been issuing warnings to parents about the growing trend.

Prompted by our attention to the topic, Minister Grace last night promised to raise vaping at the next meeting of the nation’s education ministers – and to push for a national health promotion campaign about the scourge.

She said parents should be assured vaping had already been included in the student welfare and wellbeing curriculums, and in codes of conduct – with all smoking banned at schools and within 5 metres of the gates.

“Drugs and illicit substances are also incorporated into the pastoral programs as well – so chaplains and others address vaping,” Minister Grace said.

“Obviously vaping is a concern, but it’s no bigger an issue than kids bringing cigarettes to school in my day – it’s not a bigger issue than that.”

But our special investigation has uncovered instances of many students being suspended or expelled for vaping, and of them being so desperate for a fix they have resorted to stealing – and visiting the homes of strangers they have met online to get their hands on vapes.

Desperate mums and dads have told harrowing stories of the stress of managing their children’s vaping obsessions, with kids spurred on by social media trends, peer pressure and savvy marketing.

School newsletters and Facebook pages are littered with advertisements for urgent vaping awareness nights for parents, as some principals attempt to stamp out the growing issue with “zero-tolerance” suspension policies for kids who are caught.

Vaping fast facts

• Powered vapes or e-cigarettes work by heating a liquid or “juice”, usually flavoured, which is then inhaled as a vapour by the user into the lungs.
• Liquids come in a variety of “fun” flavours such as fairly floss and chocolate, with the powered devices often disguised as everyday items such as pens, highlighters, USB sticks and even asthma puffers.
• Products vary, but usually contain a battery, a heating element and a refillable tank or cartridge. Some are resuable, while others are disposable.
• All vaping products are banned from Queensland schools.
• In Australia people under the age of 18 are banned from purchasing vapes or vaping-related product, however they can be found online.
• As of October 1 2021, nicotine vapes can only be purchased with a prescription.
• The long-term health effects of vaping are still unknown.
• Research has shown that many vapes are mislabelled, and even those claiming to be nicotine free, may include the substance.
• There have been cases of teens in Australia and overseas suffering serious health issues from extended vaping, including stroke and death.
• Vaping is associated with an increased likelihood of future tobacco smoking.

Source: Lung Foundation Australia

While vapes or e-cigarettes are legal in Australia – with numerous vape shops popping up in Brisbane – the sale of such products is prohibited to those who are under 18, and nicotine vapes are restricted to people with a prescription.

But just a quick search of Facebook marketplace reveals a dark underbelly of easily accessed products, with dozens of local advertisements for “fruit sticks”, “fruit bars” “disposable fruit” or “fruit candy”- all online codes for vapes – selling for as little as $15.

“Assorted flavoured and colours available – DM for details!”, one states, while another offers “fruit bars in bulk, discounts available”.

How people are advertising and selling vapes on Facebook. Picture: Supplied

TikTok and social media pages are flooded with trends about vaping, with the flavoured “juices” available in a huge variety of colours and every flavour imaginable, such as chocolate, spearmint and bubblegum, making them attractive to kids as young as 10.

Exasperated teachers say policing choked bathroom cubicles in a bid to stamp out the habit has become “a full-time job”, with the habit infiltrating schools across the state, from the wealthiest grammar schools in Brisbane’s inner city, to small suburban high schools.

Even primary school principals are battling to keep vapes out of the school grounds, with children as young as year 4 being busted with e-cigarette products.

Sellers are referring to vapes as ‘fruit sticks’ among other food-related terms. Picture: Supplied

Disguised as everything from pens to smart watches, iPhone cases and even asthma puffers, vaping devices are easily smuggled onto school grounds and bathrooms, and even into the classroom.

Multiple school leaders have sent warnings to parents about the growing problem, including principals of The Gap State High School, Kelvin Grove State College, Calamvale Community College and St Andrew’s Anglican College.

Some schools, including reportedly Aquinas College on the Gold Coast, had taken to restricting access to toilets in class times, while The Courier-Mail understands others had installed detectors into bathrooms.

When asked last week to comment, Minister Grace’s media adviser referred questions to her department – which provided a five line written statement, to be attributed to a spokesperson.

It stated that the department “acknowledged the importance of preventive measures around smoking and e-cigarettes”, but did not detail what these measures were.

The statement also read, “smoking is banned at all Queensland state and non-state schools” and “every Queensland state school is required to develop a Student Code of Conduct, which details property students may not bring to school”.

Hoodie drawstrings have been made to conceal vape products.

But Calamvale Community College executive principal Lisa Starmer late last year wrote to parents that she had been forced to suspend students as young as Year 4 – about 10-years-old – for bringing and sharing vapes to school.

One Brisbane mum described how her 13-year-old son used gift cards he had saved to purchase vapes online, in a bid to be “cool” at his new school.

“I’m just glad it was not nicotine juice,” she said.

She also said her son had also been caught using his father’s credit card to purchase vapes.

Another parent described how their son was suspended from a private school while only in year 7, after being caught vaping, and discovered he had been travelling by bus to buy vapes from a stranger through Facebook.

But some parents have accused schools with zero-tolerance suspension policies as being “too harsh”, and say more must be done to tackle vaping as a growing youth health issue.

One distraught mother described to The Courier-Mail how her teen son has been excluded from two top private schools, Ipswich Grammar School and St Peters Lutheran College, for vaping in the past 12 months, but said little help had been offered to help him combat his addiction.

'Discreet' vapes being used in schools

Hoodies: A vape pen is inserted in the end of one of the hoodie’s specially designed tubed drawstrings. The pen is then slid into a discreet chest pocket, and users inhale through a mouthpiece on the other end of the drawstring. This allows the plume of vapour emitted from the pen to be concealed inside the drawstring’s tube. These are available online, and retail for about $209. “Look fly while you discreetly smoke from this vaporiser hoodie. This wonder-garment allows you to blaze up your favourite waxes, oils, and e-juices through a secret opening in the drawstring so that you can puff the magic dragon without arousing suspicion,” an advertisement states.

Backpacks: Generally containing a pouch to hold the vaping device with concealed tubing and a mouthpiece in the shoulder strap, the user can then pull it out for discreet use.

Asthma puffers: “Stop getting those disapproving looks when you try to self ‘medicate’ in public by taking your ‘medicine’ with the asthma inhaler vaporiser,” an online ad for vape in the shape of a ventolin puffer states. For about $165, it tells users “this pocket sized vape is your key to discreetly high times”.

iPhone cases: Made to fit over a smartphone just like a normal case, but with a big difference: you can attach an atomiser to it and vape e-liquids. Online from just $99: “Puff on your favourite concentrates without constantly having to worry about charging your vape by using this iPhone vaporiser case. Apart from shielding your phone, it comes with two refillable VQ sticks that you can use for both oils and waxes.”

Writing pens: Described as “more sophisticated” than vape utensils that merely look like pens, these double as writing instruments. All the user has to do is unscrew the top of the pen, insert a cartridge and then vape through the top of the pen.

Smart watches: These watches display the time and conceal the vaping apparatuses in the wristband. A press of a button allows the user to remove a pod from the watchband which can be used as a vape.

She said her son, who has ADHD, was never accused of supplying or selling vapes, but the social inclusion aspect and highly-addictive nature of vaping had made it difficult for him to stop.

“What they are not asking is, why are all these kids vaping in the first place?,” she said.

“This zero-tolerance approach is only working against the students.

“If stamping out this issue is really important to them, and they care about the students, check their bags, check their lockers, patrol the bathrooms.

“They’re doing nothing to help them – they’re just punishing them.”

She questioned the support services schools were offering, and said while counsellors were available there were not active programs to help kids to quit.

Another parent described how her Year 7 son was suspended from a private Brisbane boys school for vaping, and they had to fight to keep him from being expelled.

“The only way we were able to keep him there was I said he had these disabilities (such as ADHD, ASD and dyslexia), and he needed to have structure in his schooling,” she said.

“He is easily led … we need to look at why kids want to vape and educate them on the dangers.”

“Puff rooms” on Snapchat have also become a way for students, with kids from private and public schools from across Brisbane buying and selling.

Children as young as 10 have been found to be using the products.

The mother of a young teen who attends Indooroopilly State High School said her daughter now refuses to go to the toilet at school, because of the amount of kids vaping in the bathroom.

“I am horrified it happens that often,” she said.

“It is especially disappointing given the school’s good reputation.”

And a teacher at ISHS said the bathrooms were “choked with students in the same cubicle” during break times, and said policing the toilets had become a full-time job.

Another described a “great vape incident” at Brisbane Christian College, which led to seven young teens being permanently expelled for allegedly supply, distributing and using vapes at school, with more students were also temporarily suspended.

Brisbane Grammar School students have told of vaping becoming an increasingly popular kissing game at parties, where someone inhales and then releases it into another person’s mouth when their lips touch, while a St Joseph’s Nudgee College year 12 student said “vaping is definitely in all schools”.

“Kids in primary school purchase via older friends,” he said.

“Most of the stores in Brisbane don’t care about underage selling.

“Everyone has a vape in their hand at parties.

“They like it because it tastes better than smoking a cigarette – drinking and vaping go hand-in-hand”.