Bill to curb youth e-cigarette use advances

Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, (at left) with eight Johnson County Middle School students testifying on Senate Bill 218, an act relating to the prevention of smoking and vaping by students.

FRANKFORT – One middle schooler described a new and growing locker room ritual before games. Another told of classmates who went to the restroom every two hours just to get their “fix.” And a third said she had already been bullied for speaking out against it.

What the eight Johnson County Middle School students were talking about was the popularity of e-cigarette use, or “vaping,” among teens and adolescents. The students testified alongside Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, before today’s meeting of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee in support of legislation designed to curb youth vaping.

The measure, known as Senate Bill 218, would establish an anonymous hotline for students to report vaping, require that parents be notified if their child was caught vaping and encourage youth vapors to enroll in local health department smoking and vaping cessation programs. It would also encourage school districts to establish awareness campaigns about health concerns surrounding vaping.

Student Emily Farler testified that her 13- and 14-year-old friends have an unhealthy addiction that makes them “edgy and cool” among their peers.

“Look at me,” she said. “Imagine a whole generation of us, but addicted to nicotine. That is what is happening all across Kentucky right now.”

The students cited a Surgeon General’s report from December that found youth use of e-cigarettes has risen dramatically since the product first appeared on the market around 2007. Last year, more than 3.6 million children were using e-cigarettes. Though e-cigarettes often are viewed as safer than cigarettes, the Surgeon General
warned that nicotine exposure during adolescence could harm brain development and affect learning, memory and attention.

Smith testified that SB 218 was a collaborative effort between him and the students. Smith said while e-cigarettes come in a variety of devices, a particularly popular one marketed by Juul is designed to look like a USB flash drive. He said it even charges when plugged into a laptop.

One student said their peers who sell the devices are called “plugs,” in reference to how many plug into USB ports. Another student said the devices are concealed in hidden, watertight compartments inside water bottles.

“The problem with Juuls is one that needs immediate attention,” Farler said. “We must change the culture in schools to show that vaping … isn’t acceptable. You cannot ignore the fact that 25 to 30 percent of our student body is using electronic cigarettes, and it now goes down all the way to grade five.

“Today’s kid who Juuls isn’t the same kid who smoked cigarettes 30 years ago. It is the straight-A student and the school athlete.”

When one student said SB 218 was just a start in addressing the issue, Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, said he agreed. He suggested that SB 218 be amended on the Senate floor to raise the age someone can buy vaping products to 21. It is currently 18 in Kentucky.

Meredith had introduced another bill that would have done that, but the Senate Agriculture Committee voted earlier this week against advancing the measure. Smith said he was amenable to a floor amendment to do just that.

Former schoolteacher Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, R-Lexington, said vaping was “the most horrific thing” she had ever witnessed happening to Kentucky’s youth.

“I appreciate your courage for coming because this is not an easy thing for you to do,” she said. “You are providing a great service to your communities and to the commonwealth. What you are doing here is one of the most important issues that we will take up this session.”

Meredith said the students provided compelling testimony that would make a difference.

“You have done something very special today,” he said. “It is not often you … you get to change the world for the better so feel good about what you have done. Congratulations.”