Senator Proposes Banning Vaping In All Oklahoma Schools

A former teacher turned state lawmaker wants to ban all vaping in Oklahoma schools. 

Senator JJ Dossett filed the legislation after an interim study this fall into the effects of vaping.

According to the CDC, 16.4% of Oklahoma kids vape.

The Juul is by far the most popular.

“A college student will say, ‘I don't smoke, I don't vape’. But they'll have a vaping device. And that's a whole different kind of category in their minds. ‘I Juul sure everyone juuls,” explained Julie Brisbee with TSET.

Juul sent the following statement on the intended use of their product:

"JUUL is intended for current adult smokers only. We cannot be more emphatic on this point: no young person or non-nicotine user should ever try JUUL. Underage use of JUUL and any other vaping products is completely unacceptable to us and is directly opposed to our mission of eliminating cigarettes by offering existing adult smokers a true alternative to combustible cigarettes. We stand committed to working with those who want to keep nicotine products out of the hands of young people."

Experts say most teens don't realize the harm nicotine can do to a developing brain.

“Nicotine can have lasting impacts on brain development,” says Brisbee. “It can include decreasing impulse control, making it harder to concentrate and make decisions.”

And the number of teens using vaping devices is rapidly growing. In the U.S., an additional 1.3 million kids started vaping last year.

“School administrators are saying this is something that is really hard to tackle,” said Brisbee.

Many school policies in Oklahoma already ban vaping in school. But Senator Dossett says making it illegal would send a stronger message, especially if those who break the law could face a fine.

“Kids think it’s safe for them to use, but that is simply not true,” says Dossett. “With all these serious health concerns, it just makes sense to extend the school tobacco ban to vaping.”

TSET has advice for parents on what to look for at tobaccostopswithme.com.