Over the past three or four years, vaping has exploded in popularity among teenagers. Madison, like many other towns, continues to seek out ways to protect and educate its population about the dangers of vaping.

Smokeless tobacco, once a novelty quit-smoking aide, is now a $2.5 billion industry nationwide, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. JUUL, the most popular brand of e-cigarette with a 72 percent marketshare, can be found in nearly every gas station and convenience store.

More than 20 percent of high school students nationwide vape on a regular basis, according to a 2018 study by the National Youth Tobacco survey. In June, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 in direct response to the rise of youth use of e-cigarettes. The law will take effect on Oct. 1.

One Madison mother, who said she has two children attending Daniel Hand High School, described e-cigarette usage among Madison’s youth as “rampant” and “permeating and pervasive.” She said that though she has seen the school work hard to prevent vaping on school grounds, teens continue to find ways to acquire and use the devices.

She said there were several places around town where teens go to vape, including the beaches and around the gas stations. They don’t get caught due to the nature of the devices, she said, and also due to adults failing to understand what vaping is, or how it works.

JUULs, which are both very popular among youth and also extremely small and inconspicuous, can be quickly hidden in clothing and are often not easily recognizable as e-cigarette devices. Since e-cigarettes do not produce smoke, it can be difficult to tell if someone has been using one even seconds after the vapor is exhaled.

Last year, the school began stationing more adults around bathrooms to discourage vaping, and also acquired a kit that can detect substances other than nicotine in the e-cigarette liquid, including THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Hand Principal Anthony Salutari said in the spring that school policy is focused on helping students who have been making bad choices and need guidance.

“Kids can come to us and reach out and say ‘I have a drug problem’ and we do everything we can to point them in the right direction for support without consequences,” he told The Source last year.

As far as students who might be vaping outside of school, Salutari said via email that those students “are afforded their due process rights during an investigation to determine if the suspicion is accurate.”

Another question is how underage youth acquire e-cigarette devices. There are four places to purchase JUULs in Madison, according to the company’s website—all gas stations. One of these is Cumberland Farms on Boston Post Road.

An employee at the gas station said that in recent months, staff members chased off a group of teenagers who were hanging around outside the store, trying to convince other customers to buy them JUULs or JUUL pods. The employee said they are very careful to check the IDs of anyone buying tobacco products, and are increasing their vigilance with the new age restriction coming into effect.

Though e-cigarettes have always been banned at school and school events, according to Salutari, 18 year-olds could still legally own and use them. Salutari said via email that this year, he and other high school administrators “will review the Code of Conduct to determine if revisions need to be made due to the Oct. 1 state law.”

Marketing is another area where teens are vulnerable to e-cigarettes. In 2018, JUUL halted social media advertising campaigns and curbed sales of flavored pods in some stores after facing criticism that they targeted teens.

Flavored e-cigarette liquid remains available, however. The Vape Loft, a specialty vape store in Guilford, advertises flavors like “All-Melon” and “Berry Crunch Cereal” on its website.

Idermis Melendez, an employee at the Vape Loft, said that while these flavors are more often purchased by younger customers, the store actually sees around half of its business from older people, many of whom are using the product for its original purpose: to quit smoking cigarettes.

The Vape Loft is also preparing for the Oct. 1 law, according to Melendez, informing its regular customers and putting up signage.

With teenage vape usage continuing to rise both at the state and national level, Madison, like many other towns, will continue to educate, stay vigilant, and wait.

“We are hopeful that the recent news that has highlighted the dangers associated with these products will act as a deterrent for use by our students,” said Salutari via email.