A sharp increase in vaping among students in Texas schools has led to alarm among administrators over this fairly new public health crisis. According to The Texas Tribune, there has been one death – and over 200 severe lung injuries – in this state attributable to vaping since the Center for Disease Control (CDC) started investigating this latest craze last summer. Stories of illness and even death are raising fears and producing a determination to reverse this trend, leading to criminal charges for some students accused of vaping.
Part of the reason for such vigilance is due to concern as to whether hard drugs and not just nicotine are contained in vape pens. Recently, schools have stepped up their efforts to fight vaping by enacting different measures. In schools such as Coppell Independent School District in North Texas, smoke alarms are concealed in various locations to alert staff should students start vaping. Other schools use drug-sniffing dogs to catch teens in action. Often this leads to punishments such as suspensions, expulsions and transfers to alternative schools. If students are suspected of having drugs inside the vape pens, police are contacted for the purpose of making an arrest. While these are often juvenile offenses, in certain cases these can be considered adult crimes due to the child’s age, which may lead to detention in a state jail.
If your child has been accused of vaping at school, you may want to speak with an attorney. This can give you an idea of what penalties your child may be facing if he or she is charged with a vaping-related crime in Texas.