WOODBURY – I don’t remember when vaping became a part of my day but it’s been long enough that it feels more than normal now, that’s what addiction does. It becomes so familiar that it feels like an invisible habit. 

At school the rules focus on punishment and prevention, like the only people who vape are trying to be rebellious. For some of us it’s not about that at all, it’s something we depend on to get through the day and the school doesn’t have a system for that. 

According to the CDC’s 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey, about 1 in 10 high school students currently vape nicotine. That number is lower than a few years ago, but that hides something important the students who still vape are the ones who are already addicted. The same survey found that among teens who vape, more than 1 in 3 use their vape every single day and nearly half say they feel “restless, anxious or irritable” when they can’t use it. 

Those aren’t signs of experimentation. 

Those are signs of a chemical dependence when a school responds to that with detention, ISS or OSS treating addiction like a behavioral problem not a health problem it only makes things worse and more stressful. In turn, punishment makes cravings and withdrawals more intense and the cycle repeats itself.

When schools punish students for vaping, it doesn’t stop addiction, it just pushes it underground. 

A 2025 report by the Truth Initiative found that suspension or expulsion for vaping doesn’t reduce use and can actually make things worse by increasing stress and isolation. Those emotions are known to trigger cravings and relapse, especially in teens who already use nicotine daily. 

Studies have shown that nearly 80% of teens who try to quit end up relapsing which illustrates how strong nicotine addiction is. Instead of punishment, experts recommend school based cessation programs and counseling because addiction doesn’t go away when you send someone home or put them in a room. Alone. It just follows them there.

Instead of detentions or suspensions, schools could offer real support to students struggling with nicotine addiction. Programs that teach coping strategies, provide access to counseling, or connect students with cessation resources treat vaping like the health issue it really is. When teens are given guidance rather than punishment, they are more likely to understand their cravings and manage withdrawal, and ultimately reduce use. Addiction doesn’t just disappear with fear it requires understanding, patience and tools to break the cycle. 

In the end, schools have a choice: keep treating nicotine addiction like a behavioral problem or finally treat it like the health issue it is. 

Punishment might look like action, but it doesn’t solve anything. It just pushes the problem further into the shadows. If schools want students to quit they need to replace fear with support and frustration with understanding. Most of the students who vape aren’t doing it to be rebellious. Most of them are stuck in a cycle they never meant to start. We need a system that recognizes that and offers real help is the only way of breaking the cycle. 

This is a cycle we never wanted to start. 

This is the opinion of NHS Chief Advocate Reporter Gavin Cooper ’26.