DMV schools install vape detectors amid national crackdown
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Many D.C.-area schools are installing vape detectors amid a national movement to limit young people's access to tobacco and nicotine products.
Why it matters: Vapes are the most-used tobacco product among U.S. youths, per the CDC.
- Most vapes contain nicotine, which comes from tobacco and can be detrimental to the parts of a young person's brain that oversee learning, attention, impulse control and mood.
The big picture: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tried to crack down on the vape industry for years, especially when it comes to flavored e-cigarette sales, which regulators say can target teens.
- Selling flavored tobacco is outlawed in D.C., and stores aren't allowed to sell electronic smoking products within a quarter-mile of middle and high schools.
State of play: Though all local school districts have student tobacco bans, some schools are taking it a step further and installing vape detectors, which are similar to smoke detectors and can alert administrators when students are vaping.
Montgomery County recently approved $2 million to go toward installing vape detectors in the Maryland school district's high school bathrooms.
- Prince George's County schools in Maryland are installing vape detectors in the bathrooms of all its high schools and some middle schools, a representative tells Axios.
- Detectors are already in place at all of Alexandria City High School's campuses.
- Though Fairfax County piloted vape detectors in its schools during the 2022-23 school year, it doesn't have plans for permanent installations, per a representative.
There are currently no detectors at Arlington County schools, says a spokesperson.
- And while D.C. Public Schools don't have vape detectors or plans to install them, they do have weapons detectors that often detect vapes, which are prohibited on campus and will be confiscated, says a spokesperson.
Additionally, the District and several local school systems like Montgomery County, Prince George's County and Fairfax County have received settlement money from the e-cigarette maker Juul for marketing its products to young people.
- The money will be used for wellness programs and initiatives to address nicotine addiction, among other things.
Reality check: The number of young people using e-cigarettes appears to be declining.
- Over 1.6 million U.S. middle and high schoolers reported using e-cigarettes this year, compared with 2.1 million last year, per the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
- The decrease is attributed to enforcement efforts like an FDA crackdown on flavored vape products from the popular brand Elf Bar.
What we're watching: Though the number of young people using nicotine pouches from brands like Zyn is low overall, the numbers have risen since 2016.
- Because they're smokeless, they're harder to detect than vapes.