Last summer, students and their parents received an email from Choate’s Dean of Students Mr. Michael Velez detailing revisions to the Student Handbook. One significant change will occur along with the passing of a new Connecticut State Law regarding the sale of tobacco products. On October 1, 2019, Connecticut will become the 16th state to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products —including e-cigarettes and vaping paraphernalia—from 18 to 21. Several Connecticut towns, including Wallingford, the fifth town to have passed ordinances through local legislation, raised the minimum age for purchasing tobacco in March 2019, which started the conversation at Choate before passage of the new state law expedited the process.
Vaping has dominated recent headlines, as an onslaught of vape-related illnesses and even deaths, especially those of numerous high-school students, has struck the nation.“I think vaping poses a serious health risk,” said Mr. Velez. “In the past decade, so much of the work trying to educate teenagers about the dangers of tobacco use has, in a large way, been undone by the companies producing these products. It seems clear that the companies specifically target high-school-age students in their marketing. The scary part is that there isn’t enough data yet to know how dangerous using these products is to one’s health.”
While the use of other drugs, including opioids, alcohol, and traditional cigarettes, has decreased in recent years, there has been a significant increase in teen vaping throughout the country.
A recent study by the University of Michigan found that the number of high school vapers in the United States increased by more than 1.3 million from 2017 to 2018.
Much of the controversy has been centered around the e-cigarette company JUUL Labs, Inc. and its product, the JUUL e-cigarette. JUUL, which is owned in part by Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, accounts for nearly 75% of the U.S. e-cigarette market.
On September 9, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to JUUL Labs Inc. for marketing an unauthorized modified risk tobacco products through false labelling, advertising, and direct marketing towards youth in schools.
Starting this school year, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products have been added to Choate’s Safe Haven policy. Information about the new state law has been included in the Student Handbook so students, parents, and faculty can inform themselves on the changes in state legislation and the corresponding shifts made to Choate’s drug policy.
“I believe that this new law will be something that the deans look at very carefully and take feedback from the Student Council. The vaping policy will be reviewed carefully by students and faculty alike,” said Ms. Dana Brown, a fifth-form dean.
While amendments to the school’s policy have yet to be finalized, Mr. Velez expects stricter regulations and consequences to be implemented at Choate in the future. “Even though I don’t expect any immediate changes in the law after October 1, we have the ability in our student handbook to continue changing policy if circumstances require us to reevaluate,” he said. “As an office, we will continue to monitor coverage not only of the law but this general issue.”
In addition to the rise in the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, there is also a clause in the law criminalizing the act of smoking on a school campus. “While before a student possessing vapes or e-cigs violated Choate’s school rules, now, if they vape on school grounds they are breaking Connecticut state law,” said Mr. Velez.
This clause may also have a direct impact on adults at Choate. Faculty and staff who live on campus have been told that smoking, which includes the use of cigarettes, cigars, and vaping products, on the school campus will be prohibited beginning October 1. This rule includes any residence that a faculty member inhabits on school grounds.
“I think that it is an inconvenience in some ways,” said Ms. Brown, “but it is the law and we have to abide by it. I believe our faculty and staff are flexible and will abide by the laws of the state and the regulations set down by Choate,” said Ms. Dana Brown.
Mr. Velez acknowledged that his office has work to do to reshape the wellness curriculum in certain aspects and educate students about the change in state law. “Groups on campus like Peer Educators that will be well-positioned to have student-to-student conversations,” he said. “Beyond that, there will be programs, such as bringing a speaker to campus or having an educational component to school meetings.”
