(NewsNation) — An electronic cigarette company is selling a vape pen that looks identical to a highlighter, making it possible for students to sneak the disguised products into school.
The company, called High Light Vape, has a product called the “Office 4” e-cigarette. It’s practically a carbon copy of your traditional highlighter, with vibrant neon colors, complete with an angled tip.
According to the company’s website, the pens provide 4,000 puffs and come in 20 different flavors, To the untrained eye, they look like they could be used in English class.
But the creative design underscores a teen vaping problem that has had health officials worried for years.
In 2018, the U.S. Surgeon General called youth vaping an “epidemic.” Since then, it’s only become more prevalent.
A CDC study from 2022 found that around 2.5 million middle and high school students in the U.S. currently use e-cigs. Sales have also increased, up nearly 50% from 2020 to the end of 2022.
Vaping among teens has become so widespread that states and schools are passing new policies to fight back.
A Texas law — which goes into effect in September — creates harsher punishments for kids caught with vapes at school. Those caught with vapes at school could be temporarily placed in alternative disciplinary schooling.
A school district in Citrus County, Florida, is bringing in a police dog to sniff out vape pens to help curb the addiction.
In a statement to NewsNation, High Light Vape said the design is meant to be a “discreet solution” for people who wish to avoid “scrutiny from their peers” within “professional environments.”
“Emblazoned on our packaging is the prominent age restriction of 21 and older, a testament to our unwavering commitment to refraining from sales to minors,” the company added.