The principal of a private school in Ludhiana was shocked when she heard the response of a parent after a vaping device was recovered from a class 9 student. “His father said ‘why are you making an issue out of it? I have an entire collection of such devices in different flavours at my home. Everyone does it these days.’ I was shocked,” said the principal.
Varinder Singh Brar, an official from the state education department said that he was worried after his daughter, a class 12 medical student in a private school, told him that her friends were “forcing her to try vaping and relax” after studying for long hours.
“When she told me that everyone was doing it in her batch, I was so worried that I immediately searched for it on the internet. After I read about it, I told her to stay away from it. If drugs were not enough, now we have a new addiction to protect our children from,” he said.
Vaping devices are now entering classrooms and the easy availability of such machines, both offline and online are becoming an increasing cause of concern among parents and teachers. Varying in the form of a pen, a hard drive or even a geometry box, most parents and teachers are largely unable to make out the device that the students are carrying.
Vape, or an e-cigarette, contains addictive nicotine mixed with several flavours. Unlike a cigarette, it doesn’t need a fire igniter to produce the vapours. As harmful as smoking, vaping can damage lungs, cause permanent respiratory issues, damage brain cells, cause behavioral problems among adolescents and divert their focus from academics/career, experts said, adding that it can also be a gateway for students to get into alcohol and drug.
Ironically, Punjab was the first state in the country to ban e-cigarettes in 2013, but the medical practitioners, teachers and parents that The Indian Express spoke to, said that vaping in Ludhiana schools was rampant, more after Covid, and children as young as 13 (class 8 onwards) were carrying vaping devices.
The device is easily available for Rs 800 to Rs 2000 and once a device is purchased, one has to refill it using flavoured pods. “We are getting cases of children of classes 8 to 12 vaping almost daily,” said a senior de-addiction specialist from Ludhiana.
A class 12 student of a private school in Ludhiana said, “In my class of 35 students, around 15 vape regularly. Some use very high concentration of nicotine and do it every few minutes. They either rush to the washroom or prefer to sit near windows. Once a classmate was vaping two benches behind me. I had to face social boycott in my class after I raised it with teachers.”
Another student from Ludhiana added: “Students who go for coaching are offered free trial by their friends. Once three girls and two boys in class 9 were caught by the teacher after she smelled something weird. CCTVs were checked, and then they were suspended. Another class 10 student was expelled after a vape was found in his pocket. They think it’s very cool and mostly do it out of peer pressure.”
Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, principal of DAV Public School in Ludhiana’s BRS Nagar, said that the problem increased after Covid lockdown. “As schools reopened, we noticed that students (class-9) onwards were rushing to washrooms every few minutes. We started surprise check of schoolbags. I didn’t know much about it so I researched the topic and sent notes to parents to know its harmful impact. We get mixed response from parents when such devices are recovered. Some know about it, for others it comes as a shock,” she said, adding that the misconception that vaping is harmless is adding to the problem.
“A vape device looks like a pen or a remote control and parents fail to recognize it. Earlier we use to confiscate money if children would get cash in schools but now parents are depositing it in their e-wallets,” added Sidhu.
One such circular that Sidhu had issued to the parents reads: “School authorities are getting information that some students are bringing vape/e-cigarettes to school and are influencing their friends/peers to use it. Our teaching staff is regularly counselling the students about its harmful effects, searching the school bags of the students at random for confiscating the vape and informing their parents. Surprisingly, some parents admitted that it’s with their consent that their ward is using it, but school cannot allow such a habit forming trend in its own premises.”
“We have informed parents that a fine of Rs 2500 will be imposed if device is recovered along with three-day suspension. A repeat offence will invite rustication. Counsellors are always available if students need help,” Sidhu said.
Satwant Kaur Bhullar, principal of DAV Public School in Pakhowal, said, “A class 8 student who was caught with vape said that his friend gave it to him at a tuition. Another class 11 student was suspended. Easy access in markets needs to be checked by the government. We have increased vigilance outside washrooms, and told parents to check cupboards/bags etc secretly.”
Anuja Kaushal, principal of BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School in Ludhiana, said that they have appointed support staff to keep vigil outside washrooms. “They just keep an eye on any suspicious activity but never make students uncomfortable.”
Dr Navkiran Mahajan, head of psychiatry department at Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMCH) in Ludhiana, said that most teens admit to vaping when asked. “They think it is very normal and harmless but the concentration of nicotine in vape is way higher than a cigarette. Vaping can damage lungs as does smoking. Patients as young as 15 come for other issues such stress, anxiety but gradually open up to vaping. Vape patients also suffer from chest/respiratory issues, anxiety, irritability and their academic performance suffers. What is worse is to normalise such addiction,” Dr Mahajan said.
Dr Pankaj Kumar, psychiatry professor at DMCH, said, “Vaping is a new category of addiction in Punjab which needs serious action. We are getting cases almost daily. Vape addicts are unable to concentrate, even fail to do normal conversations with confidence, get anxiety. One such patient tried to commit suicide after his parents refused him money to buy a vape. Supportive treatment, counselling and therapies are the only treatment.”
Dr Rupesh Chaudhary, de-addiction specialist at Arora Neuro Centre in Ludhiana, said, “Vape is too toxic and these days some suppliers are also mixing cannabis in vape. We have 15-20 cases in which parents got their children for counselling. Side-affects include aggression, insomnia, loss of appetite, tremor of hands, anger, irritability, lung issues etc. Most are doing it for leisure, during parties and due to peer pressure.”
Failure to crackdown: Data in Lok Sabha shows “zero” recoveries in Punjab
Even as the Punjab had become the first state to ban e-cigarettes under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act in 2013, and the online sale was also banned in 2016, the curbs have remained on paper and successive Punjab governments have failed to crackdown on the underbelly vape market supplying devices to children at any price. The sale of e-cigarettes and like devices was prohibited nationwide under the Prohibition of e-cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019.
In February this year, the issue was also raised by Congress MP from Assam, Pradyut Bordoloi in the Lok Sabha who asked for details on the action taken by the Centre/states.
According to the data presented by the union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the House, there were “zero” violations and nil recovery of e-cigarettes in Punjab in 2023-24.
Dr Jaskiran Kaur, nodal officer, National Tobacco Control programme, Punjab, said that Punjab was the first state to write to online sites such as Flipkart and Amazon to ban the sale of e-cigarettes and to issue ban orders. “Health department can only create awareness. Schools need to check students at their own level. To crackdown on suppliers is the work of police and enforcement agencies. We can only issue challans worth Rs 200 if someone is found smoking publicly including e-cigarettes,” she said.
Student from Ludhiana added: “Students who go for coaching are offered free trial by their friends. Once three girls and two boys in class 9 were caught by the teacher after she smelled something weird. (Representational File) 
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