Some schools in North Carolina, New Jersey, Washington, and Connecticut are imposing harsher penalties on e-cigarette use than for the use of regular cigarettes.

While cigarettes can land a student in detention or a tobacco education class with a letter home to their parents, the punishment for e-cigarette use is stiffer. The student will be subjected to either a long suspension or a drug test, and even have drug possession marked permanently on his or her school record.

This is because e-cigarettes have been incorporated into most schools' anti-drug policies, which puts the devices on a par with bongs and pipes.

E-cigarettes are devices that heat a nicotine solution to create a vapour instead of burning tobacco, which students sometimes use to smoke illegal substances such as marijuana.

"Our goal is to reduce access and discourage use on campus," Sarah D'Annolfo, dean of students at The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut told the Associated Press. "It definitely sparks conversation within the school community about e-cigarette use and the possible dangers and the possible benefits. That conversation alone is a hugely important learning opportunity."

There are some who are protesting over schools' stance towards e-cigarettes, including Gregory Conley, president of the e-cigarette advocacy group American Vaping Association, who said that it's "pure over-reaction" to punish students who are caught with the devices.

The 16-year-old daughter of Kathleen Leone from Parsippany, New Jersey is one such student. Leone refused to let school officials drug test her daughter after she was caught with her older brother's e-cigarette in her pocketbook. Her daughter was suspended for four days because of this and the incident has also been put on her school record.

"I'm not going to sit here and tell you that she should have it, but you know, she's 16, and 16-year-olds do stupid things," said Leone, who is also a teacher. "In her record it says she was suspended for refusal to take a drug test, and that's something that could affect her chances getting into a university."