By: Alyssa Rester

High school can feel more like a never-ending tornado of peer pressure and stress. Teenagers spend four years wandering the halls of Walled Lake Central, with the constant weight of peer pressure and fitting in sitting on their shoulders. One of the most common forms of peer pressure is fitting into a crowd or group, that group most recently being the kids who are partaking in ‘vaping’.

On Wednesday, November 1, Principal Chuck Morgan shared an informational email with the parents and students of Central. The email was shared to update and make parents aware of the newest way of smoking. “These devices are electronic and produce an odorless vapor when used.  Commonly known as a “vape”, the newest model brands are a “JUUL”, “Suorin Air”, and “Suorin Drop Kit.”  These devices vaporize a liquid called “juice.”  “Juice” can contain either nicotine or THC.” said Principal Chuck Morgan in the email. The sheriff’s department went into some detail to inform parents on these ordinary looking e-cigarette and what they are doing to our students.

As parents received this informational email, students were sat down and shared real conversations with their parents. Junior Molly Padrock said, “Me and my mom sat down and we had a really deep conversation about how fitting in and being a part of a crowd really doesn’t mean anything when your health is at stake. I really appreciate having a parent that looks out for me and cares about these things that are going on in my life.”

Knowing what these ‘vapes’ look like and do is important, but so is understanding that they still do contain nicotine and are still a way of getting young teens hooked on the addictive drug.  Walled Lake Central’s Oakland County Sheriff’s Department’s liaison officer, Deputy Matt Legatt, said, “These may not be actual cigarettes, but they are serving the same purpose and are providing these students with nicotine and are handing them a long road of health issues.“ Legatt is only on the lookout for the Central students’ health and well being as many of them are making their way down this dangerous path.

This informational email was not sent out to have parents in fear or to get students into any trouble, but only to get parents informed to prevent our students from getting into a situation that they cannot get themselves out of.