As E-Cigarette Bans Loom, Stealth Vaping Devices Raise Concerns Among Parents, Health Officials

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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — As more places begin to ban vaping in public, some companies are finding innovative ways to do it without getting caught, raising concerns among parents and health officials.

The latest device looks almost like any other sweatshirt. But instead of the drawstring helping you adjust the hoodie, it's set up to vape.

The company behind the item, Vaprwear, sells the product online for as little as $50. A video shows how it works: allowing the user to vape from the sweater's drawstring.

"That's the next level. That's, like, targeting kids ... " student Jimmy Alvarado said, noting the popularity of other discreet devices used for vaping, such as flash drives.

Director of Chronic Disease and Intervention for L.A. Public Health, Dr. Tony Kuo, says the more discreet the product, the more likely it is to target teens.

"One in 10 high school students are actually using e-cigarettes and vaping," he explained.

A portion of Vaprwear's website is dedicated to educating parents vaping. But Dr. Kuo is urging parents to do their own research.

"How do you monitor your children if you don't know what their doing?" one mother asked. "You don't even know what they look like."

Vaprwear did not respond to CBS2/KCAL9's request for comment.