ABC Unsplash
)Schools in the New South Wales Hunter region are cracking down on the growing trend of students using vapes or e-cigarettes.
The use of vapes is on the rise and principals say they have had enough.
Schools have sent letters home to parents and carers warning them that students caught using, selling, or just being in possession of a vape could now be suspended.
Many health and education professionals have raised concerns about the impact vapes are having on the health of young people.
ABC Newcastle: Christine Sheridan
)University of Newcastle postdoctoral researcher Eliza Skelton is examining the use of vaping as part of a world-first clinical trial into the practice.
Dr Skelton said that although it was not the case for all vapes, some e-liquids available on the black market had proven to be quite harmful.
"It depends on the type of e-liquid that's in the device to determine what happens to the lung," she said.
There have only been pilot and feasibility studies in the field, so the safety of vaping products is still under evaluation.
"The best message is to not take up tobacco smoking, and equally, to not use vapes that contain nicotine or any other substance," Dr Skelton said.
ABC Newcastle: Christine Sheridan
)Black market lures students
E-cigarettes that do not contain nicotine are legal in New South Wales and can be bought by adults.
But some students have reportedly bought nicotine-based vapes online and are selling them to their friends.
Josh* is a 17-year-old who bought nicotine-based vapes on the black market to do exactly that.
"At my school, it's mainly the boys in Year 12 and 11 who vape.
"I've recently stopped but a couple of my mates have been caught."
Supplied
)Under existing NSW Health regulations, it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to a person under the age of 18.
But the ABC has been told that getting hold of a vape online is relatively simple and getting one dropped off in person is as easy as typing a word into an online marketplace.
Ryan Kenning, the owner of a vape store at Glendale, said he received numerous calls from people he suspected were minors who asked if he sold disposable vapes.
"Most of our customers are between 30 to 45, but you do get some younger people coming in the doors."
*Not the student's real name
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