Teenagers have found a new way to inhale marijuana. Vaporizers are making it easier than ever to hide what is inside them.

The original purpose of vaporizers was to make it so people who smoke cigarettes could smoke them anywhere because there is no smoke involved. Vaporizers are a smokeless system that can heat up nicotine but is also being used for marijuana, but doesn’t actually cause it to combust. Instead, it causes oils that contain the active ingredient in the herb to boil until it creates a vapor. This gives you the same effect as if you were actually smoking marijuana but without any distinctive smell.

The odorless and smokeless vaporizers are making it easier for teenagers to be discreet with what they’re smoking. When talking to Nancy Janvrin, an Ipswich High School parent, she said, “I’ve heard of vaporizers before; isn’t it just an easier way to smoke nicotine without any actual smoke involved?” When told that teenagers were using vaporizers to smoke marijuana, she was shocked.

According to a report in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.Vaporizer usage among teenagers has increased 200% from 2011 to 2013. Most surveyed said that they have never even tried a real cigarette before. This statistic shows teenagers had no intention to use the vaporizer for its original purpose.

In Lakewood, Colorado vape pens with marijuana have made their way into the school. “I’ve seen people in my math class and they’ll be sitting there with the teacher and they’ll be smoking it and they won’t even know,” said Jack Maestas, a student at Lakewood High (cbslocal).

A local nurse from Anna Jaques,  Cassandra Taraska said “The reason we’re having problems with marijuana is because it is illegal; people want what they are told they can’t have.” USA Today conducted a poll asking high school students if they’ve ever used a vaporizer for marijuana; 27% of these high school students answered yes. Cassandra Taraska believes that using vaporizers for marijuana is a good thing for medical marijuana patients. Vaporizers have made it easier for the patients to take their medicine and have a social life. 
So this leads to the question of does using a vaporizer have health risks? Because the cannabis research is lacking, nobody knows all the risks in using a vaporizer. With using a vaporizer you do not however realize how much marijuana you’re taking in a certain amount of time.

Talking with Carli Hancock an Ipswich High School Senior, she stated “vaporizers are not a rampant problem at Ipswich High School; however I have heard of some students using them.” Even though this trend is not huge in Ipswich, students should know the effects of what vaporizing marijuana can do to you.