Senator J.J. Dossett wants to close the loophole that allows vaping on public school campuses. He filed Senate Bill 33 to amend the Tobacco Free Schools Act to add vaping and its products to the list of banned tobacco products.
“If you look at the studies coming out from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Surgeon General’s office, there is clear evidence that vaping is harmful to adolescents. It gets kids addicted to nicotine which can harm their still-developing brains. It’s a fact that nicotine can affect decision making and impulse control. It can change the way synapses are formed, and it impacts attention and learning,” said Dossett. “My bill will close the vaping loophole so these products cannot be used in our schools.”
Dossett isn’t just worried about teens becoming addicted to nicotine, he’s also concerned about the chemical by-products created by vaping.
“When we had our interim study on vaping, I heard from educators, administrators and parents who were very concerned about how pervasive it’s become on school property,” Dossett said. “Kids think it’s safe for them to use, but that is simply not true. With all these serious health concerns, it just makes sense to extend the school tobacco ban to vaping.”
