Police: Latrobe students use vape pens to smoke marijuana

Latrobe police are warning parents after some Greater Latrobe School District students were taken to the hospital for allegedly using vape pens, also known as e-cigarettes, to smoke marijuana, said police Chief John Sleasman.

“We believe that marijuana is of a very high potency level,” Sleasman said. “The system or the body isn’t really used to that high potency.”

Sleasman was unable to confirm the number of students taken to the hospital, but said police have responded to four calls in relation to vaping at the schools. He did confirm the students involved are minors.

Incidents are also happening outside the school, Sleasman said, adding that vaping issues are a countywide problem.

The incidents come almost two months after the district announced they were partnering with Breathe Pennsylvania, a Cranberry-based nonprofit that focuses on lunch health awareness, to bring parents up to speed on the health risks of vape pens.

During a March workshop, parents learned how the devices work, what they look like, how they can be concealed, how to help a child quit using a device and signs of nicotine withdrawal.

Students who are caught using e-cigarettes at the district could receive a three-day suspension for the first offense and up to a 10-day suspension for further offenses, according to district handbooks.