Vapes in Hampton Roads schools persist, some even reaching elementary levels. Local cities seeing different results
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The use of vapes among teenagers and young adults has become a trend in recent years since its inception in 2003. Some schools in Hampton Roads are seeing vape usage all the way at the elementary school level.
Some Hampton Roads public schools are on track to see a decrease in vape violations, however, schools like Suffolk have already surpassed its previous year's number, with Virginia Beach Public Schools potentially to follow suit, depending on how the remainder of the year pans out.
Suffolk Public Schools thus far has seen more vape violations in just the first semester of the 2024-2025 school than all of the previous years combined.
In 2023-2024, the school system had six violations at the elementary level, 30 in middle school and 125 violations in high school for the whole year, for a total of 161 violations. Meanwhile, the fall 2024 semester alone saw 24 violations in middle schools and 148 in high schools, bringing it to 172 total. The city of Suffolk is experiencing a population growth of around 2% each year.
Total violations 2023-2024
Most recent # of violations 2024-2025
Virginia Beach
1,085
697 (as of 2/24/25)
Suffolk
161
172 (first semester)
Chesapeake
746
316 (as of 2/21/25)
Portsmouth
394
160 (as of 2/12/25)
Hampton
467 *
Not available (as of 3/26)
Newport News
543 *
Not available (as of 3/26)
Norfolk
353 *
Not available (as of 3/26)
Portsmouth Public Schools had around 160 violations in the first part of the 2024-2025 school year. Four were reported in elementary school, 42 in middle school and 114 in high school — a number of them containing THC.
'Any student found to be carrying/using a vape on school grounds will face disciplinary action as outlined in the division's Code of Student Policy,' a spokesperson for PPS said. 'PPS continues to enforce all state guidance and state laws to keep campuses drug and alcohol free. Families are also encouraged to have conversations with their children about access to vapes today and the health impacts vape usage can have.'
Chesapeake Public Schools had the most violations thus far. Last school year, the school system saw 746 violations with 160 containing THC between the middle and high schools. Among the 586 vapes containing nicotine, 22 were confiscated in elementary, 125 in middle and 439 in high school.
While the school is on track to see lower numbers for the 2024-2025 school year, they've reported around 316 violations as of Feb. 21, with 72 containing THC in middle school and high schools.
Police: Six vape, tobacco stores caught selling to minors in Chesapeake
On March 6, the Chesapeake Police Department posted on Facebook that they conducted an undercover operation at 10 tobacco and vapor stores across Chesapeake. Six of the locations sold vapor products to the undercover, underage asset. It's illegal to sell these products to anyone under 21 in Virginia.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools said that the school system had 815 nicotine vape violations in 2023-2024 and less than 270 THC vape violations. As of Feb. 24 for the 2024-2025 school year, school officials said there have been 514 nicotine vape violations and less than 183 THC vape violations.
Newport News Public Schools had a total number of 543 infractions in 2023-2024 for possessing/using/distributing tobacco products, possessing tobacco paraphernalia, electronic cigarettes and vaping equipment, according to the Virginia Department of Education. Hampton Public Schools had 467 under the same categorization and Norfolk Public Schools had 343 violations, according to the Virginia Department of Education.
WAVY has requested numbers for Newport News, Norfolk and Hampton school systems for the 2024-2025 school year, and is waiting on those results.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, females are more likely to use e-cigarettes than their male counterparts.
Nicotine can harm brain development which isn't complete, according to the CDC.
According to the National Library of Medicine, while e-cigarettes like vapes are sometimes considered 'healthier' than cigarettes, there is still health risks and respiratory concerns. The higher dosages of nicotine in vapes can cause nausea, dizziness and vomiting. Beyond just the nicotine — an already highly addictive substance — vapes often contain similar toxic substances seen in cigarettes such as 'acrolein, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and reactive oxygen species.'
Nicotine dosage in e-cigarettes can also be very high. A life-threatening dose of nicotine is around 30-40 mg in adults and 10 mg in children. A 5 mL bottle of e-cigarette refill solution can consists of 20 mg/ml nicotine, or around 100 mg per bottle.
According to the National Library of Medicine, e-cigarettes use increased from 1.5% in 2011 to 20.8% in 2018, with products such as JUUL attracting youth attention. The evolution of e-cigarettes' designs, flavors and advertisement have drawn younger consumers.
The JUUL also allows for a more discreet use. Studies have also suggested it could be a 'gateway' to cigarette and marijuana, according to the National Library of Medicine.
In 2024, e-cigarettes like vapes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school student in the U.S., according to the CDC. This equates to around 1.21 million high school students and 410,000 middle school students. Among current student users, 87.6% use flavored e-cigarettes and more than 25% reported using it every day.
The most commonly reported brands were Elf Bar, Breeze and Mr. Fog.
The use of nicotine during adolescence can harm the brain, specifically parts that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control.
Adolescents who use nicotine may be at an increased risk for future addiction to other drugs.
In 2020, most middle and high school students who vape want to quit and have tried, according to the CDC. 63.9% of students who were using e-cigarettes reported wanting to quit and 67.4% of students reported trying to quit in the previous year in 2020.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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