Junior Joe Miller* uploaded a picture of brightly-colored cool mint, pineapple lemon and watermelon Puff Bars with the caption “puffs” to his private Snapchat story. Then he waited.
Within minutes, his notifications were flooded with messages from eager underage customers. Within hours, he was sold out of his disposable vape supply, which may or may not have been legitimate product.
“It was really easy,” Miller said. “I could sell 200 Puff Bars in three days. I had someone buy 60 from me one time.”
Puff Bars are the latest trendy, flavored vaping devices that seem to have replaced Juuls, according to senior Will Johnson*. Teens like Johnson drive down Mission with a Puff Bar in one hand and the other on the wheel — others prefer passing them around at parties or “ripping” them in secluded school bathrooms.
Although he caught 25 students last year, assistant principal Britton Haney didn’t catch anyone vaping on campus during hybrid school. He hopes they’re “making smarter choices” due to restrictions on bathroom usage and social distancing guidelines.
According to Advent Health Pulmonologist Dr. Mike Nelson, little is known about the relationship between vaping and COVID-19. However, a team of researchers recently found that teens who vape are five times more likely to receive a COVID diagnosis.
In an Instagram poll of 151 students, 70% said COVID-19 hasn’t made them more reluctant to continue vaping. According to Miller, there’s been an increase in vaping this year because kids can’t get caught when they’re home alone during the day. If parents get suspicious, they can just toss their Puff Bar into the trash.
While Juuls are designed to be recharged and refilled, Puff Bars are disposable and non-refillable. According to a poll of 99 students, 26% have switched from using reusable vapes to disposable vapes.
“[Puff Bars] last pretty long for what they are,” Miller said. “They’re the best disposables.”
A temporary legal loophole allowed for the recent increase in Puff Bar popularity. On Jan. 2, 2020, the FDA banned fruit, mint and dessert electronic cigarette flavors, limiting them to methanol and tobacco.
However, those restrictions only applied to refillable cartridge-based e-cigarettes like Juul and its pods. Since Puff Bars are disposable and non-refillable, they were not subject to the flavor ban.
With limited Juul pod flavors, Puff Bar’s lineup of 25 fruity flavors convinced many students to switch, according to a survey conducted via Google Forms of 68 students.
But in July, the FDA ordered Puff Bar to remove their products from the market, causing them to suspend online sales nationwide. Now, anyone with a craving for a Puff Bar has to purchase a potential knock off or similar brand like Bidi Stick from a smoke shop or gas station.
That doesn’t bother students like senior Grace Smith* though.
“I’ve had [knock offs,] and they still taste good,” Smith said. “There are no issues with the taste, it’s more just the inconsistency of whether you’ll get buzzed or not. Basically how many hits you get per [bar].”
Besides the flavors, surveyed students said that disposables are more convenient, cost less than Juuls and don’t need to be charged.
“It’s easier to hit, or smoke, a disposable,” Johnson said. “It just comes out easier, whereas a Juul you might have to suck harder. And they’re so much cheaper.”
Puff Bars are around $10, while a Juul costs $45 plus an additional $10 for a two-pack of pods.
Nelson believes that the companies that produce single-use vapes purposely set a low cost of entry to make them more appealing to youth.
“The companies that make these things do that primarily for marketing because they say, ‘Let’s make something and make it look cheaper, but in the long run you use it more, and you actually end up paying more,’” Nelson said. “So it’s really more of a scam than anything else.”
Although COVID hasn’t dissuaded most teens from vaping, it has led some — including Smith — to rethink their vaping habits.
After her sister tested positive for COVID last month, Smith decided to try to protect her lungs by taking more breaks between trips to the gas station to buy Puff Bars and Juul pods.
Not only is vaping dangerous for your health, it can also result in school disciplinary and legal consequences, according to Haney and School Resource Officer Seth Meyer.
The first offense is a two day out-of-school suspension, though students have the option to knock off a day by completing a four hour vaping education program. For repeat offenders, Meyer issues a citation for minor in possession of tobacco products in addition to the suspension.
“People vape because their peers do it, and their peers do it because somebody convinced them that it was a good idea,” Nelson said. “But the reality is if I told you to sit behind your car and inhale the exhaust pipe, you would say, ‘Why would I do something like that?’ Well basically you’re just inhaling chemicals to make yourself feel a little bit better.”
Senior Kelly Murphy is excited to tackle her third year on staff as a Copy Editor, Staff Writer/Designer and Social Media Staffer. She can’t wait to continue improving upon her writing, editing, interviewing, and designing skills — all while enjoying her final year on staff. Along with Harbinger, Kelly’s involved in tennis, SHARE, Junior Board, choir, and Link Crew at East. When she isn’t busy meeting Harbinger deadlines or doing copious amounts of homework, Kelly loves grabbing food with friends, spoiling her two cats, and traveling the world with her family. »
With everything up in the air as ‘rona rages everywhere, senior Liv Olson has one constant she can count on: Harbinger. As her third year on staff kickstarts, Liv has her hands full as co-Head Broadcast Editor, Social Media Designer, and Multimedia Videographer. When it comes down to it, editing videos into the late hours of the night may not seem like something to look forward to, but you’d be wrong! Outside of journalism, Liv is involved in swim team, volleyball, SHARE, NHS, church youth group, and full schedule of AP classes. If you’re lucky, you might get the not-so-rare sight of her karaoke-ing to throwbacks in the car, lifeguarding, or tandem biking across downtown OP. »
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