A group of high school and college students want state lawmakers to crack down on the loosely regulated sales of vaping products.
A bipartisan group of House and Senate legislators filed a bill last year to regulate retailers that sell tobacco and vape products and ban sales to people under age 21. The legislation has been parked for months in the Rules committees without a hearing, but recently a group of high school and college students held an advocacy day to push for action.
Rep. Donnie Loftis, R-Gaston, is the sponsor of House Bill 430, known as Solly’s Law to honor Solomon Wynn, a 15-year-old from New Hanover County who died from complications related to vaping. Loftis says the use of highly addictive vaping products among teenagers is leading to violent incidents across the state.
“This is a deadly game among young people,” he said during a news conference during the advocacy day. “We're here today to say enough is enough. It is way past time for this bill to be moved into the committee process so that North Carolina can feel good about protecting its young teenagers.”
Halifax County Schools Superintendent Eric Cunningham says he’s seeing more behavior problems related to vaping.
“We are seeing addiction,” he said. “Students become aggressive when we take them. Students fight. Students even run out of the building. Students will do almost anything to get that vape pen back.”
The bill would create a permitting system for retailers that sell tobacco and nicotine products. That provision has support from the state’s Alcohol Law Enforcement agency. Director Bryan House says the lack of permits makes it hard to investigate if stores are selling to kids.
Loftis says lobbying efforts by retail and industry groups are blocking the bill from moving forward.
“All of these groups have some stake in the game that they want their protected status, or class protected,” he said. “Part of the delay is we need all those people at the table, lock the door, and figure out how we can find areas of agreement to protect these young people.”
The bill comes as the legislature also considers whether to regulate hemp and THC products. To learn more about the legislation and the vaping trends prompting it, WUNC News spoke with two of the students who attended the recent lobbying day for the Tobacco 21 Coalition Youth Council: Taylor Ward of UNC-Chapel Hill and Pranika Senthil of Lake Norman Charter School.
This conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
What are you seeing in high schools and colleges now, in terms of the types of products that that people are using, and how different is it in terms of health effects from just smoking cigarettes?
Ward: I think there's been a massive shift from more smoking types of tobacco products to vaping. Vaping has been promoted as a safer alternative, which scientifically we know that's actually not true, but I think people are kind of operating under the guise that it's a safer option. It seems more acceptable in a lot of contexts, and I think that's why we've seen a big increase in tobacco use.
Senthil: Vapes are also a lot easier to hide. When you smoke, obviously the smell of tobacco gets stained on you, but when you vape, no one can really tell.
Is there a concern that because these products are unregulated, exactly what people are putting in their bodies is not as clear as it might be?
Ward: My concern is not only for the level of nicotine in these products, but also undisclosed substances. I've heard really unfortunate circumstances where there's been marijuana, THC, or even traces of fentanyl found within vapes.
What do you think would be the value of having the age limit higher? How would that protect people from getting addicted at an early age?
Ward: It's just a time of your life where you're open to trying new things, and you can very easily get access to tobacco products. It’s just really hard to stop once you start. But by raising the legal age of sale to 21, I think people are able to think more rationally.
Senthil: Youth’s brains aren't fully developed until our early 20s, so raising that age would also allow for better decision making and emotional regulation, so you can actually put your mind into what you're inhaling before trying it.
What are some of the other things that this bill would do that you feel would be a needed change in how North Carolina regulates these products?
Ward: I totally support raising the age of sale to 21, but I think the even more important element of this bill is the regulation factor. Most stores that sell alcohol have an alcohol license, but that's not the case for tobacco. If we require these permits, then law enforcement can ensure that the products are not more harmful than just the effects of nicotine.
Senthil: If I were to walk into a vape shop right now, and if I bought a vape, then I would be the one who was charged, and the cashier who sold it to me would be the one who's charged. If (the bill) was enacted, then businesses would be the one who are held accountable for selling products to underage kids.
Listen to the full interview on the WUNC Politics Podcast.
