Vaping in Public Places?
Overview
Students take on the role of a small business owner and community member who is asked about a new law restricting vaping in public places. They investigate the effects of vaping on the human body and find out whether or not it also affects people who may be close by. The city council wants public input on the issue before they pass the new law and the committee must have recommendations for a town council meeting. Students prepare a fact-rich town hall presentation!
Learning Objectives
To better understand vaping and the impacts on health, students should be able to:
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Explain why research says that vaping use is increasing.
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Describe why people may start vaping.
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Describe the short-term and long-term effects of vaping.
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Explain how vaping is addictive.
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Describe the effects of vaping on people who are nearby a person who is vaping.
Scenario
You own a thriving small business in your
town and your work on many local projects is
well-known. Now, you have been asked to be
on a community committee to decide if vaping
should be allowed in public places.
When you said you would participate, you wondered exactly what the problem was. Vaping is not like cigarette smoke, right? And if the vapor is not like cigarette smoke to the person who is vaping, how could it be a problem for other people nearby?
You have heard a lot about it on the news, but you haven’t paid much attention to it. Now, some groups in the community have been complaining that walking down the street or through the city park is like walking through a wall of vaping smoke. Is the problem that bad? You have noticed more people vaping instead of smoking and thought that was good! At least they weren’t smoking cigarettes.
The city council is thinking about passing some laws restricting vaping in public places. Smoking is already restricted for good reasons! Are vaping restrictions really necessary? You think it is always good to find out the facts before you decide anything. Some people may be reacting with opinions without finding out the facts first. You also realize that you don’t know much about vaping and shouldn’t be one of those people that just decide with an opinion.
You think the fact-finding committee is a good idea and you are now going to be part of it. You and your committee’s job is to find out the facts and report your recommendations to city council during their next meeting. It’s going to be quite a large meeting; you have already heard that most of the community is planning on being there to hear the presentations.
Your Tasks
● Research information to find out about
the health issues that surround vaping.
Is it safe?
● Be prepared with data to back up your
presentation.
Scientists track trends, increases and decreases, locations, ages, and many other factors as they study health issues. This data may be a powerful tool to help students and adults understand the problem.
● Prepare a presentation.
You can use any kind of presentation aid available to you, including PowerPoint, graphs, charts, or posters.
● Be prepared to answer the questions presented in this activity.
● Be prepared to answer questions from your classmates or teacher as they play the roles of people attending the city council meeting. You could make an important contribution to your family’s and community’s health by getting to the bottom of this controversy!
Guiding Questions:
1. What are the effects of vaping on the person who vapes? Explain the effects of vaping ingredients on the various body systems. Be sure to list short-term and long-term effects.
2. Why is vaping use increasing? What does the research have to say about possible reasons?
3. Is vaping addictive? Explain.
4. What are the effects of vaping on other people? Are there secondhand vaping effects?
5. What are your recommendations to the city council about restricting vaping in some public areas in the community?
Support material for this module includes:
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