BCSD Superintendent warns parents that vape devices being used to inhale THC

BCSD Superintendent warns parents that vape devices being used to inhale THC
Narcan kits used to treat fentanyl overdoses are available in all district schools

At a recent press conference and a letter sent out to Baldwin County Public Schools parents, Superintendent Eddie Tyler stated that although there is no drug problem in the schools he oversees, he wanted to alert parents about the dangers of drug-laced vape pens and issue a wake-up call to our Baldwin County communities to what is happening with vape devices being used to inhale THC and the deadly opioid fentanyl.
“While I don’t believe we have a drug problem, I do believe we have a vaping problem amongst the youth in our communities,’’ Tyler stated. “This is not something exclusive to Baldwin County schools and it is not something exclusive to high schoolers. It is happening all over the country, all over the state and even among our younger children.
“THC is also frequently being injected into vapes. Some of the children using these devices are aware of it and yet some of them are not. I’m sure you can imagine the kid who offers something to someone else to try, with that person unsuspectingly inhaling THC and getting high,’’ he added.
Tyler said vape kits are also being injected with the powerful narcotic fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that even in very, very small amounts is deadly. Fentanyl has been the cause of the vast majority of overdoses in America, Alabama and Baldwin County this year.
“I’m not an expert, but what I understand is the drugs injected into these vape kits don’t mix perfectly. So, the first person who inhales may get a little, the second person who inhales may get none and the third or fourth person who inhales may get the vast majority of what was injected. This inequitable distribution of the chemical is what appears to be causing overdoses,’’ Tyler said.
Tyler said Narcan kits used to treat fentanyl overdoses are available in all district schools.
“That may seem ridiculous to some, and I would have agreed, but then I was reminded about the curiosity of young children. The concern and unfortunately, the real-life example, is the youngest child who finds something their parent or sibling left out and wants to try because they think it’s cool and worse, might share it with others,’’ Tyler said.
“It’s something at first that you can do first-hand, that you can administer before the ambulance arrives and is a really good thing to have available for our students. We hate to ever have to use it but if we did, at least we have it available,” added Ashley Barnhill, Health Services Coordinator for BCSD.
It is against state law for anyone under 21 to possess or use a vape device regardless of what is inside it. In some cases, school resources officers have issued tickets to students for possessing those devices. Test kits are available on all BCSD campuses to determine what is in vape devices.
Students in possession of vape devices are suspended for one day, and if THC is found in the vape, they are suspended for five days.
“We’re not looking to discipline our students, we’re looking to protect them,” said assistant superintendent Marty McRae.
An increase in respiratory illnesses as the result of vaping are also a growing concern at schools, according to Barnhill.
“You don’t know what you’re inhaling into your body, it could ruin your lungs, but not only that, the different drugs that are in the vapes can lead to major conditions,” she said.
Tyler urged parents to talk to their kids about vaping, drinking and drugs by asking them what their friends are doing and sharing concerns about fentanyl.
“I know how uncool we can be as parents but sometimes we don’t need to be cool. Sometimes we need to love, be concerned and even be hard when it comes to protecting our children. Even though our kids push back against authority, they want to be loved. Show them that love through your concern,’’ he said.
A Selma High School student died and four others were rushed to the hospital last month from fentanyl overdoses.
Fentanyl was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.
“In my 30 years teaching, I’ve buried several students and that’s not something you ever want to do. That’s why we rang the bell to talk about this today. The device I’m talking about, it’s a DAP pen. It’s an electronic cigarette and it has the marijuana content on it but what worries me more than anything,’’ said Fairhope High School Principal Jon Cardwell, a former teacher at GSHS.
“We don’t know what’s in them. Kids are essentially smoking synthetic marijuana while sitting in class. They’re passing out and vomiting, and it’s a fact that we are having to prepare ourselves for drug overdoses.”
An a personal note, an emotional Tyler said he lost his youngest child to a tragic traffic accident when he was a high schooler. “The pain I suffered that day continues,’’ he said. “I do not want any parent to ever have to suffer that tragedy. I don’t want any of you to experience what I have experienced myself.
“Please don’t take our message today as traditional drug awareness event. It’s not,” Tyler added. “This is a wakeup call about what is happening with this deadly trend. This is not about a drug problem in Baldwin County schools. Drugs are everywhere. Drugs are in our schools.”