Moriah College warns against vaping as trend spikes in NSW

Moriah College has warned that vaping comes with serious risks, as recent studies show NSW teens are rapidly transitioning to e-cigarettes believing they are less harmful than cigarettes.

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With the popularity of e-cigarettes surging in NSW, one eastern suburbs school is taking proactive measures to ensure students are aware of the dangers that come with vaping.

Last year, a Cancer Institute of NSW study found 16 per cent of young smokers had recently turned to vaping from cigarettes, with a quarter of them believing e-cigarettes were less harmful.

Moriah College, an Orthodox Jewish school in Queens Park, will next week be addressing the issue with its students over what it says is a rise in high school students vaping in the state.

“While the damaging impact of smoking tobacco is well known, the short and long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are still being researched,” the college’s head of high school Jan Hart wrote to parents.

Ms Hart warned that while the school’s wellbeing team was on hand to offer advice to students and parents, vaping on school property or at school events was prohibited and students could face suspension.

Head of high school at Moriah College Jan Hart warned there were serious risks with vaping. Picture: Supplied.

Manufacturers in the United States recently copped criticism for marketing towards teens over claims they were developing smoking devices that resemble toys and flavoured to entice kids.

“Some resemble conventional cigarettes, while more recently developed devices look like everyday items such as pens or USB memory sticks,” she said.

“The appeal of these flavoured e-cigarettes to adolescents has led to their rapid uptake around the world.”

E-cigarettes that do not contain nicotine are legal for use by adults in NSW, though liquid nicotine is prohibited.

In 2013, a NSW Health study found that 70 per cent of e-cigarettes sampled contained high levels of nicotine, despite it not being listed as an ingredient.