Could a new form of art be emerging? According to some, it is.

With vapor as their medium and e-cigarettes as their tools, self-described vaping artists are using vaping as a form of creative expression. E-cigarettes were originally designed as a way for smokers of traditional cigarettes to avoid the health risks associated with tobacco products and the additives commonly included in cigarettes. However, e-cigarettes, which heat up liquid nicotine into a vapor which can be inhaled, have become the device of choice for some artists. Hiding the device (and the habit) from parents and teachers is convenient, as “vapists” can conceal e-cigarettes in a book bag or pants pocket. Vaping, also referred to as “blowing clouds” or “vlooping,” is not just a vice: some students feel it is also a form of artistic expression.

According to one SHS student, “Cloud chasing,” another term for vaping, “is really a beautiful form of art, still growing in popular culture.” “I don’t do it for the nic-buzz or anything,” the student continued, using a slang term to refer to the stimulant effects of nicotine, the primary ingredient in vape liquids.  The student, who wished to remain anonymous, said that it is an art form. When asked about the benefits of vaping, he said that it relieves the stress that he feels, likening it to “taking all the stress in your body, and exhaling it through one big cloud.”

Some people believe that the benefits of vaping are outweighed by the possible health effects. Scituate High School health teacher Jaime Dwyer disagreed with the student’s perspective. When asked why she felt that vaping should be forbidden on school grounds, she said, “It’s unhealthy, and its cancer causing.” This is supported by a study in the journal, Addiction, primarily authored by Peter Hajek, of Queen Mary University in London, Great Britain and Jean-Francois Etter of University of Genève, in Switzerland, which showed that e-cigarette vapors contained some of the same toxins found in the smoke of traditional tobacco cigarettes.

Dwyer said,“When the liquid is heated it becomes a carcinogen — a cancer causing agent.” She also expressed the concern that it could be what is referred to as a “gateway drug,” meaning it could lead users to experiment with other, more harmful, drugs. Dwyer said that it really became a problem in the 2015-2016 school year, and expressed concern that it could lead students to begin using alcohol or marijuana. However, she conceded that it isn’t as bad as smoking traditional cigarettes, an opinion which is also shared by Hajek, Etter, and their team of researchers, whose study showed that the levels of toxins in e-cigarette vapors is significantly less than in cigarette smoke. The long-term health effects, though still not conclusively studied, are likely far less than those of a cigarette.

Though the effects aren’t yet studied, and many feel that it could be harmful, one thing is certain: in the minds of many users, vaping is art, and therefore, they should not be prevented them from expressing themselves this way.