Vaping: an evolving Samo trend is subject to new laws.

In the 2015 Oxford English Dictionary, right in between Vanzetti and Vapid, is the Oxford’s newest word, “Vape.” Formerly a colloquial abbreviation for the words  “vapor” and “vaporize,” Vape was recently granted official word status. To “vape” is to inhale the vapor produced by a vaporizer or electronic cigarette (e-cig). “Vaping” initially became popular in 2009, when developments in e-cig and vaporizer technology gained widespread recognition among traditional cigarette smokers. Since then, a subculture of “vapers” has clouded around the devices.E-cigs and vaporizers are devices that heat an “e-liquid” with a coil to create a thick vapor, which is then inhaled and exhaled by the user like a conventional cigarette. The user can adjust the amount of nicotine contained in the “e-liquid” by increments of 6 milligrams. First generation e-cigs mimicked the look of normal cigarettes and were initially marketed towards cigarette smokers as a smoking cessation aid. The heaviest of smokers may start at 36 mg of nicotine in their e-liquid and continue stepping down in nicotine levels until they shed their nicotine dependency completely.Eventually, second generation E-cigs referred to as “vaporizers” were introduced as more recreational gadgets. Vaporizers do not attempt to mimic the look of a normal cigarette and come in all different sizes, shapes, colors and most importantly, flavors. Because e-liquids produce a flavored vapor, they’ve become a main appeal to the vape community. Users can visit vapor lounges and experiment with a wide selection of fruity, savory, and herbal flavors. The average price of a Vape is anywhere from 10-60 dollars, although some luxury vape models can be priced as much as 2,000 dollars.Regardless of the growing popularity of E-cig and vaporizer technology, the Santa Monica City Council decided on Oct. 14 to prohibit E-cig use in public places. Additionally the laws require vapor retailers to wield a tobacco license, restricting the sale of E-cig products much in the same way that tobacco products are. It is illegal for minors to purchase an e-cig or vaporizer.Additionally, vapor consumers can no longer smoke inside vapor lounges, as the law bans in-store smoking, regulating an industry that has been until now, virtually law-free.Despite these new laws that regulate the very products they sell, Santa Monica vapor lounges aren’t complaining. The new rules do not apply to Santa Monica’s two pre-existing Vapor Lounges.According to Adam Wright, an employee at Santa Monica’s “Fix Vapor”, the new laws will provide little incentive for other vapor businesses to open in the city.“We got completely grandfathered in,” Wright said. “So all the regulations that are happening will be brought upon the new shops that open up in Santa Monica, which, quite frankly, won’t be many because they’re going to have to have ventilation, certifications and a lot of other different things.”Santa Monica has two existing Vapor Lounges that will now control all the business in Santa Monica. Vapor Delight on Lincoln opened in April 2013 and Fix Vapor on Main Street which opened in November 2013 now essentially have a monopoly on the vapor business in Santa Monica.Wright said that the new laws will actually help his business.“Ultimately it’s a good thing for us because there probably aren’t going be too many vape shops that open up in Santa Monica.” Wright said.The new laws in Santa Monica regulate e-cigs quite like they do traditional cigarettes, for e-cigs cannot be used or purchased by anyone under the age of 18. Yet, despite these laws, minors continue to seek out vapor products.According to I-House principal Florence Culpepper, e-cigs are banned on campus because they’re regarded as drug paraphernalia. Possession or distribution of e-cigs may be punishable by mandatory substance abuse counseling, 40 hours of community service, a felony referral to the Santa Monica Police Department and  a potential expulsion.However, for e-cig user Jack Aron (’15), these vapor lounges are part of a budding genre of facilitated social environments, which are somewhat akin to bars.“Kind of like how people 21 and over go to bars and socially drink, now people 18 and over can go and socially vape,” Aron said. “I vape because I don’t see much of the harms, especially with simply breathing in water vapor, and I also like the social aspects of it. It’s just a fun thing to do with my friends.”Yet, a recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that e-cig usage among middle and high school students more than doubled from 2011 to 2012. The same study also cited e-cigs as a gateway into real cigarettes for teens.E-liquid can contain nicotine, but e-liquid can also be purchased nicotine free. However, Aron says he doesn’t support the recreational use of  vapor products that have nicotine.“Honestly I don’t like using vapes or e-cigs with nicotine,” Aron says. “So I would not suggest anyone to use them unless you’re trying to get over a previous addiction to actual cigarettes.”According to a Samo student who requested to remain anonymous, e-cigs used with nicotine begin to affect the user’s lifestyle.“I noticed that what started as a habit was forming into an addiction,” the student said. “It became hard to function in school without nicotine and I started spending more money on vape paraphernalia.”According to another anonymous Samo student, the laws are completely unfounded because they don’t take non-nicotine e-liquids into consideration.“The laws and regulations in place now don’t really stop students from vaping, but I think that enforcement is going to become a lot more serious in the coming years,” Aron said. “E-cigs are becoming really popular, especially among Samo kids, so I wonder if more regulation will change people’s perspective [on vaping.]”