General News
25 April, 2023
Principal's warning: don't take that risk
Wimmera Mallee News - publisher of The Horsham Times, Warracknabeal Herald, Dimboola Banner and Rainbow Argus - contacted six high schools and colleges across the region, asking for their views on vaping among students. We invited them to tell us...
Wimmera Mallee News - publisher of The Horsham Times, Warracknabeal Herald, Dimboola Banner and Rainbow Argus - contacted six highschoolsand colleges across the region, asking for their views on vaping among students.
We invited them to tell us what positive steps they were taking to address the issue, and what advice they could offer to school age children.
Sally Klinge, principal of Dimboola Memorial Secondary College, offered the only comment.
"My view on vaping is the same as that on any substance abuse, ie it can be addictive and harmful to your health, so why would you take the risk?" she said.
"Sadly, that is exactly why young people vape or smoke or take drugs: it is the thrill of the risk involved – be it getting caught or the short-term effect that it creates.
"My concern is that the risks regarding vaping are still not yet fully known.
"Nicotine-based vapes are dangerous to an individual’s long-term health.
"The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne has a fact sheet available online which states that one e-liquid pod contains as much nicotine as a packet of cigarettes.
"Nicotine is also known to be harmful to brain development.
"My advice to young people is to be strong and not give in to peer pressure when encouraged to participate in any risk-taking behaviour.
"You do not know what harm that it may cause."
Horsham's Holy Trinity Lutheran College declined to comment.
The remaining four schools we contacted did not respond.
However, Grampians Community Health said schools were taking positive steps.
"We applaud the supportive approach by many schools in the region in identifying and addressing illegal vaping issues," a spokesperson said.
They did not name any schools or go into further detail.
Grampians Community Health providesa range of primary health care, therapeutic and community support services,withoffices across the Grampians and Wimmera, including at Horsham, Warracknabeal, St Arnaud and Stawell.
They also urged a broader community approach to the issue.
"With such strong commercial marketing and social pressure mixed with false messaging, our youth need a whole of community approach to support them to identify the issue and overcome the nicotine addiction that many have been tricked into, and support to rewrite their story," a spokesperson said.
"As much as some young people know that vaping is as, or even more harmful than cigarettes, it is very hard to give up vaping as we know that the nicotine in vapes is addictive."
"It is important that tobacco use is regulated through laws and policies so that children and young people are protected against the serious health risks of smoking and vaping."
We also contacted the Horsham office of headspace, which works with young people on mental health and wellbeing issues.
They passed our request on to the Uniting media office,who told us: "Headspace Horsham focuses on mental health and support, so we’re probably not the best placed to respond to the issue of vaping which is primarily a medical related issue."
The Grampians Public Health Unit, part of Grampians Health, urged youngsters to avoid the habit altogether.
Professor Rosemary Aldrich is the unit's director of Population and Public Health, working in partnership with health services and other agencies throughout the Grampians region.
“The Grampians Public Health Unit strongly discourages the practice of vaping for individuals under 18," Ms Aldrich told Wimmera Mallee News.
'Vaping products often contain nicotine and chemical compounds which are addictive and can harm brain development of young people (brain development continues until young adulthood).
"Vaping can act as an introduction to smoking, leading to young people becoming more likely to smoke tobacco cigarettes in the future.
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