If you’re someone who likes vaping, you should know that the laws are different in every state. Don’t get called out in public for doing something wrong.

There was a 78% increase in the use of e-cigarettes among high-school youth between 2017 and 2018. This is an alarming rate, owing to the fact that there’re laws revolving around AZ public vaping. The current laws forbid the sale of vape to students but aren’t adequate to curb the growing crisis.

One of the bills currently waiting to become law is to reclassify e-cigarettes as tobacco. If this becomes law, it’ll bring Arizona in line with the federal law. The federal law prohibits the sale of tobacco to people below the age of 18 years.

There’s a belief that the reclassification will provide the state with a more comprehensive anti-vaping law. It’ll also remove ambiguity about the vaping products prohibited from sale to minors.

Read on to learn more!

The Opposition of the Bill

Some proponents of vaping are vehemently opposed to the bill. They say that e-cigarettes are a lot different from the traditional ones and shouldn’t be classified together. They argue that the classification will make the public think negatively about vaporing in AZ public space.

In defense, the Senate says that e-cigarettes contain nicotine, a product high-school students shouldn’t access. Since the government and adults must protect minors, the reclassification would be a good starting point.

Unfortunately, unlike the regular cigarettes, vape leaves no nicotine smell behind after smoking. Some vaping gadgets are too small that parents hardly notice them. The devices are also used to smoke CBD vape juice.

The State of Vaping by Minors in Arizona

In the past year, there has been an enormous increase in the use of vapes by high school students. Most of the devices resemble a Universal Serial Bus Flash Drive, hence hard for teachers and parents to detect. The sale of the vapes grew seven-fold in that period.

Public health officials observed students using vapes also smoke conventional cigarettes. The students can’t go to class without smoking the e-cigarettes. The situation is now a crisis, and unfortunately, the products are easy to access.

The slick hyper-marketing campaigns for the products haven’t made the situation any better. With help from the students, the Arizona Department of Health Services launched an anti-vaping campaign.

Definition of E-Cigarette By the State

The state of Arizona defines e-cigarette as a vapor product, containing a noncombustible product derived from tobacco. It contains nicotine and employs a mechanical heating element that uses a circuit or battery. Regardless of the shape or size, the heating element heats the liquid nicotine solution contained in cartridges.

The Law and Arizona Public Vaping

The revised Arizona Statutes have been updated to encompass the following provisions:

It’s illegal for a person to knowingly sell, give or furnish a tobacco product to a minor. The products include vaping devices or any paraphernalia designed for smoking tobacco or shisha. Others are hookah and waterpipe.

Minors are guilty of an offense if they buy, or have in their possession tobacco or vapor products. They also shouldn’t knowingly accept any instrument or device designed for ingestion or smoking of tobacco. If minors are found guilty for such an offense, they’re liable for a fine, not less than one hundred dollars.

They’ll also perform 30 days or more of community service.

A minor shall not misrepresent their age as a means to obtain tobacco or related products. They shall not acquire, by false pretense, vapor products or any paraphernalia for smoking tobacco or shisha. If found guilty, a minor shall be liable to a fine of not more than $500.

The “State of Tobacco Control” Report

The vaping crisis among the youth has raised concern in many quarters in society. The Lung Association of Arizona has called upon official to increase the minimum age to 21. They believe that doing so will go a long way in reducing the loss of lives.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and diseases in Arizona. It claims approximately 480,000 lives annually in the US. According to the State of Tobacco Control, Arizona needs to improve her efforts in reducing and preventing tobacco use.

The need for the state to take action in protecting the youth from tobacco use is urgent. Reports show that one million students have begun using e-cigarettes in the past year. They expose their developing bodies and lungs to harmful chemicals in the e-cigarettes.

They also risk becoming addicted to this deadly product. This is why the U.S. Surgeon General declared the use of e-cigarette as an epidemic in 2018. There’s a need to reduce tobacco use, as outlined in the Report.

In the Report is a roadmap on how to save lives, but its implementation is still a far way off.  A lot remains to be done in communities all around Arizona in reducing and preventing tobacco use.

Recommendations

The State of Tobacco Control report provides the federal government with policies that can help reduce tobacco use. It tasks the elected official with the responsibility to save lives. They also should ensure Arizona residents benefit from reductions in exposure to second-hand smoke.

All these they can achieve through

  • Funding State Tobacco Prevention Programs
  • Collection of State Tobacco Taxes
  • Access to Services to Quit Tobacco
  • Increasing the Minimum Age to 21

The Lung Association also encourages the state to fund all tobacco prevention efforts fully.  The Report is a blueprint for putting proven policies in place for the most significant impact.

Take Away

Vaping in Arizona in public is a growing habit among high-school students in Arizona, and it’s becoming a crisis. While the state wants to regulate e-cigarette use; some fronts are of a different opinion.

The Lung Association notes that a million new young users started using vapes in one year. If no control measures are put in place, this number may continue to rise. Eventually, there’ll be more addictions and loss of lives.

One of the recommendations is for the state to increase the minimum age to 21 years. Vaping should also be classified under tobacco to reduce the chances of the youth gaining access.

For more information, read about the misconceptions of vaping.