As vaporizers — or vapes — continue to become smaller and easier to conceal, some bold students are testing the limits in classrooms.
In California, people have to be 21 in order to buy a vaporizer, but some vapes are still confiscated from students, including some in the Morgan Hill Unified School District.
The district's resource officer recently held a presentation for teachers and staff to show them that the devices can look like thumb drives or styluses.
Officer Jeff Brandon with the Morgan Hill Police Department said some students have been found to be charging the devices in class, telling teachers that the chargers were for their cell phones. Some students were also reportedly blowing vapor behind their teachers' backs.
"It dissipates so quickly," Brandon said. "By the time the teacher turns around, it’s gone. There’s very little odor, so it's not like a regular cigarette or a marijuana joint where it's very obvious in the smell lasts for a long time."
A recent USSF study found cancer-causing chemicals in the bodies of teenagers who use e-cigarettes.
Brandon advises parents to talk with their teens about the health consequences of vaping, keep an eye on their purchases and look for chargers with circular ports.
