Dangers of vaping explained

Families of students in Hot Springs County School District No. 1 along with members of the community attended an open meeting Tuesday night regarding vaping and drugs that may be found in our schools.

For the past several months there had been a crackdown on students vaping or using electronic cigarettes in the schools and on school grounds. Unfortunately, in some cases, the electronic cigarettes are filled with illegal substances rather than the liquid nicotine they are intended for.

In order to keep the community informed, Sheriff Jerimie Kraushaar and Officer Mike Mascorro presented information on what vaping is, what it does to the developing brains of teens and what other substances parents and other adults should be on the lookout for.

Vape pens, e-cigarettes or, as they’re most commonly known among teens, JUULs, are illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to be in possession of.

Kraushaar and Mascorro showed images of the various types of e-cigs available so parents and others can know what to keep an eye out for if they happen to find one in their teen’s room, for instance.

“Kids are sneaky about it,” Mascorro said. “Teachers need to be eagle eyed because in some places they’re even doing it in the classroom, blowing the vapor into their hoodies.”

They pointed out how small the devices are and are easily hidden in pockets. Most fit right in the palm of the hand, giving teens the opportunity to carry them just about anywhere.

Kraushaar advised parents that nicotine is actually dangerous. The nicotine concentration in one of the e-cigs can be as high as 50 mg per “pod”, well over twice the amount of nicotine found in a single pack of cigarettes.

“For kids who have never smoked before, this can give them a nicotine overdose,” Kraushaar said. “Nicotine poisoning is serious.”

And to top it off, there are videos all over the Internet that show kids how to take the devices apart and refill them with THC oil – liquid marijuana.

And don’t go blindly along thinking this isn’t happening right here.

“I have been here three years,” Mascorro said. “In that three years, I have made 60 drug busts.”

Some of the things to look for are, of course, marijuana, which most adults have seen as the flower or bud of the marijuana plant, but the marijuana now is exceedingly more potent than that of the 60’s and 70’s.

One of the marijuana edibles that have been found right here in Thermopolis are “gummy bears”, candy that has been created using marijuana oil that look just like the gummy bears you can buy at any store.

The legal dose of a gummy bear in Colorado would be the equivalent of biting the bear’s ear off; one-eighth of the entire candy.

Butane oil is another form of marijuana in a sticky, black liquid. It is created by using a butane torch to essentially melt the THC out of the marijuana leaves.

Parents should look for kids having these blow torches as they use those to heat up the butane oil, wax marijuana and others. Officers have recovered butane oil here in town.

And kids are pretty creative in hiding things. For instance, officers found a marijuana pipe hidden inside a magic marker. The insides of the marker had been removed and the pipe was an exact fit.

Other things parents can look for in a teen’s car are visine, cologne and THC stickers. This is generally what tips law enforcement off there may be drugs in the vehicle when they do a stop.

Spice has also been found in Thermopolis. It is basically any kind of plant material that resembles marijuana that has been sprayed with any number of poisonous chemicals. Spice is packaged in brightly colored packages that appeal to kids.

Kraushaar said they have taken spice from kids here that was actually laced with methamphetamine. The teens had no idea.

And speaking of meth, did you know it looks like road salt? It can even be ground down to the consistency of sugar.

The best thing parents can do is look for signs in their children or teens that may indicate there is drug usage going on.

Declining schoolwork can be a sign as well as a change in sleeping habits. For instance, if your teen is sleeping more than usual, it may be more than just long night studying.

Deteriorating relationships with friends and family is another sign parents can look for. If a teen is being less open and honest about where they’re going or who they’re with, that could be a red flag for drug use.

Communicate with your children. Kraushaar and Moscorro agreed that keeping those lines of communication open can be the ultimate way to keep your children safe.

Talk about drugs with them. Let them know what the boundaries are and stick to those boundaries. Get to know their friends and their friend’s parents.