Smoke and spray: a lurking problem at RCHK

By Ian Chan

Vaping and graffiti are comparable. Despite both being addressed by laws in Hong Kong they still exist as problems. But when it comes to RCHK is vaping actually a problem?

In 2021 five students are suspected to have vaped within RCHK school grounds. Secondary vice-principal Geoff Wheeler says that this often happens within the year groups 9-13, however, it is rare among Diploma Students.

Although Wheeler acknowledges five cases indicate that it is a very small problem he also stated that it happens every year, with roughly the same number of students.

Wheeler has also noted that the students often get their hands on these tobacco and nicotine products in Hung Hom.

He has said that many of the students often express guilt when being caught, saying things like they did it because they were stressed or otherwise peer pressured into doing it. However in contrast to this Mr. Wheeler has said that he believes that they vape because they think that it is a sign of maturity, it might also be because of the thrill of breaking the rules and getting away with it.

Students vaping outside of school wearing the RCHK uniform would still be punished according to school rules, as Mr. Wheeler says: “it’s like bringing a part of the school with you.”

To further the investigation interviews were conducted with some anonymous RCHK students currently in the diploma program. The students often said that they don’t often notice vaping on school grounds, or outside of the school in general, but do note that it does happen very rarely. As quoted by one of our anonymous students; “I don’t often notice it in school, but do rarely notice some people from RCHK vaping, which is upsetting”.

Vaping is a problem which occurs in other ESF schools as well. South Island School (SIS) has sent emails to parents warning them that the students of the schools have found a way to easily buy tobacco products and that a variety of e-cigarettes have been found in students’ possession. SIS also commented that students are attracted to these products because of the liquids found in the product, which have high customizability in their flavouring. Most of these items often show up no bigger than the size of a thumb drive, while others resemble that of a power bank.

Vaping in Hong Kong has been put under high scrutiny, and Hong Kong has banned “the import, sale and manufacture” of e-cigarettes since late 2021. There has also been tighter regulation of other vaping products. Yet these bans won’t stop people from buying them, and while the sale of tobacco products has dropped since these laws, they have not been completely removed.

While it is a persisting issue in Hong Kong, the government promises to crack down hard on members of the public using tobacco-related products. At RCHK, however, it is a minor problem that requires constant regulation to curb. But with the new regulations and RCHK upholding these standards, it is not expected that students will be widely vaping any time soon.