A school resource officer for the Windsor C-1 School District, who has seen the teen vaping epidemic firsthand, says Missouri’s laws on vaping don’t provide any help to solve the problem.
“You have all these (legislators) out writing laws saying, ‘We’ve got to put a stop to this. We’ve got to do something.’
“So, they go out and put out this law that has zero teeth. What can we use this law for? What is it good for? Not much of anything,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Will Scott said.
Deputy Will Scott discusses vape use and laws associated with the devices during a meeting with the Leader Teen Advisory Board.
Scott, who has been a school resource officer at Windsor since the start of the 2018-2019 school year, said he is dismayed by vaping’s grip on young people.
Changing times
Ten years ago when someone heard the term “e-cigarette,” an image might come to mind of an ugly, clunky and loud piece of equipment.
Today’s e-cigarettes are called “vapes,” and they are small, sleek and easy to carry around. Although the vaping industry has proclaimed the devices were intended as a means to help adult smokers quit, the younger generation has been targeted through advertisement spaces on popular social media platforms.
JUUL, creator of the most popular e-cigarette devices, faced recent backlash for allegedly courting teens.
JUUL’s website says its products are intended to “improve the lives of the world’s one billion adult smokers by eliminating cigarettes.”
However, more teens have been using the product than adults.
How to get help
Until recently, there were few outlets for teens to find help to quit vaping. But, thanks to National Jewish Health hospital in Denver, Colo., an online program is available.
The organization’s website, MyLifeMyQuit.com, is stacked with information about vaping and provides a self-help line for teens who want to quit using e-cigarettes.
The website says, “At My Life, My Quit we share the truth about nicotine, vaping and other tobacco products. If you decide you want to quit, we’re here to help you do it successfully.
“Text ‘Start My Quit’ to 855.891.9989 or call to talk with a coach who is ready to listen and cheer you on.
“It’s YOUR LIFE and we’re here to help you live it YOUR WAY.”
What penalties?
Scott said Missouri’s laws do nothing to keep teens away from e-cigarettes, although people under the age of 18 cannot legally buy them.
If a law enforcement officer catches an underage youth with a vape device, it is an infraction and the device can be confiscated, Scott said.
“For a second violation and any subsequent violations, the person is guilty of an infraction, once again,” he said. The violator’s device can be confiscated and he or she “shall complete a tobacco education and smoking-cessation program, if available,” Scott said.
Unfortunately, there currently is no cessation program for vaping.
Scott and others fear that vaping may lead to substance abuse.
One JUUL pod (a container that holds liquid with nicotine and other substances) is equivalent to a whole pack of cigarettes in terms of the amount of highly addictive nicotine it contains.
Flavors – from fruity to minty, to almost anything you can think of – make vaping seem appealing, but teens may not be aware of the potentially harmful chemicals in the pods and the juice.
The real trouble rolls in with pod modifications. Pod-mods are backroom concoctions mixed with anything the dealer wants to add. There is no way to regulate these modified pods before they hit the streets. Some are amped up, laced with THC (the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects).
Scott said he can send confiscated pods to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crime lab to find out what is in them, but that isn’t really helpful since it can take weeks for tests to be run and for the information to be sent back to him.
