On December 20th, 2019 President Trump amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to include a new age requirement of 21 for purchase of any tobacco product, including all types of e-cigarettes.
This legislation was passed in order to combat vaping statistics such as the one released by the TN Department of Health stating, “In 2019, over half (50.6%) of students in Tennessee’s public high schools had tried an e-cigarette in the past year and nearly a quarter were current e-cigarette users.”
Despite this, Principals from Huntingdon High School and McKenzie High School, Principal Kee and Principal Spivey have noticed no decrease in students getting caught for vaping- related offenses.
Both schools have strict guidelines when dealing with vaping, with first offenses resulting in suspension or alternative school. Repeat offenses could result in students being sent to the Juvenile Office in Huntingdon.
This gradual increase in vaping among teens is due to the availability of the products. When asked about different tactics teens use to obtain vaping products, Marathon workers, who wish to not be named, described fake ids, lying about age, and asking people of legal age to buy for them. The last tactic is not only the most commonly used, but also the hardest to combat since they are legally able to buy vaping products.
With that in mind, the TN Department of Health is telling parents to, “ask questions, pay attention, and know what the devices look like, because so many are oddly shaped and may not look like an electronic cigarette. Also, parents should get information about e-cigarettes from reputable sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, or the Tennessee Department of Health’s youth tobacco prevention webpage https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/fhw/tn-strong.html”
