She tells the buyer to meet her in the KHS commons. She waits until she sees them, then quickly unzips her backpack and takes out the product: a vape pen and five pods to refill the pen. The student approaches her with $55 and with an exchange Suzy* sells her first nicotine product to a minor. Suzy makes $20 in profit from the sale, which she uses to buy more vape pens. he tells the buyer to meet her in the KHS commons. She waits until she sees them, then quickly unzips her backpack and takes out the product: a vape pen and five pods to refill the pen. The student approaches her with $55 and with an exchange Suzy* sells her first nicotine product to a minor. Suzy makes $20 in profit from the sale, which she uses to buy more vape pens.

“All my friends were profiting, and it looked like something I could get into,” Suzy said. “I don’t think it’s bad that I’m exposing teens to nicotine because it’s been happening for ages. I just use it in moderation.”

Suzy lies about her age on websites that sell electronic cigarettes or will go to adults that can legally obtain the substance. With these exploits, 11 of every 100 KHS students (11.3  percent) have used a nicotine delivery system, such as electronic cigarettes, vapes, hookahs, and vape mods, in the past 30 days, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In an attempt to regulate teens exposer, St. Louis county banned the sale of nicotine delivery systems to individuals under the age of 21.

“I usually buy them online,” Suzy said. “It’s super easy. All you have to do is lie about your age. [The electronic cigarette] will come in like two days.”

According to Suzy, students smoke her electronic cigarettes in the halls, in the bathrooms and even in class. As with any illegal substance on KSD campuses, the KSD administration has a set of  disciplinary procedures and policies.  “We don’t want kids experimenting with anything,” Dr. Micheal Havener, KHS principal, said.

“[Electronic cigarettes] are under the same [disciplinary] section as regular cigarettes. If students need the support [dealing with an addiction] there are resources for them and their family.” Regardless of the safety nets KSD has put in place to counter student’s exposure to addictive   substances, there are still students, if in line with national statistics, who fall through the cracks.

“I have the urge to have my [electronic cigarette] with me all the time,” Niki*, a KHS student and nicotine user, said. “When I don’t have it with me I freak out. Before a big test or when I’m stressed I’ll go into the bathroom and get buzzed. I’ll be able to be calm [after that].”

The buzz Niki was feeling should not of happened according to current law. Illegal substances, like nicotine delivery systems for youth, would fall under the  jurisdiction of the Kirkwood Police Department (KPD). However, according to CrimeReports, an organization that tracks crime nationwide, the KPD has not charged any teen for the possession of illicit tobacco products in recent records.

“I’ve caught a few kids vaping in the bathroom and all I can tell them is that it’s bad for them,” Officer Johler, KHS resource officer, said. “I leave it to the principals to handle the discipline. The most I could do, as an officer, is to charge them with possession of tobacco and give them a court date. It wouldn’t help [the minor].”

According to the KSD Handbook, all KSD campuses are tobacco free, meaning that tobacco and tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes, are banned for visitors, staff, and students on KSD campuses. For students who breach the policy, they are referred to smoking cessation programs. Although faced with a loss of her nicotine, if caught at school, and potential health side-effects Niki can’t go without smoking for a 7-hour school day.

“I see [using nicotine] as a problem,” Niki said. “At the same time at this point I don’t see it as enough of a problem to stop. I use it too much to stop. I’m too addicted to it, and it’s gotten to the point where I can’t really do anything about it.”