(The Center Square) — An increasing number of Georgia students are vaping, and by the time they encounter Juan Guardado, they’ve had the habit for some time.
“It’s an issue that starts early,” Guardado, a Gwinnett County Public Schools school resource officer, told members of the House Study Committee on Safety and Consumer Protection of Nicotine Vapor Products. “By the time they get to my high school, they already have an addiction.”
“When we find a student vaping nicotine or THC, what we like to do is bring them in, have a sit down with them, explain the consequences that vaping can have towards their health and also the legal consequences that it can bring to them,” Guardado added. “Most of the time, I will tell you it helps, especially when you have that sit down, and you show the student that you care about them, that you’re there to educate them.”
A recent study from the University of Georgia found vaping has increased among nonsmoking youths in recent years, with 41% having vaped nicotine and 26.2% having vaped marijuana.
“What we’ve seen is largely the FDA — Food and Drug Administration — has failed to regulate vaping across the country,” state Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, told the committee, which held the group’s first meeting this week in Watkinsville.
“We’ve seen just a massive explosion of what are disposable vape products that largely have been brought in through China,” Gaines added. “They’re going straight on shelves, and there’s really no … oversight; there’s very little regulation … in that arena, and you have a lot of retailers [that] want to know what they’re selling is legal.”
Last year, state lawmakers considered House Bill 1260, the “Georgia Nicotine Vapor Products Directory Act,” which would have created a directory of nicotine vapor products authorized for sale in Georgia. While the state House passed and a Senate committee passed the measure, the full Senate did not consider it before the legislature wrapped.
Lawmakers could consider a similar measure when they reconvene.
“Everyone needs to be involved in this crisis,” Haley Beckham, the Georgia Public Training Safety Center’s School Safety section manager, told lawmakers.
Everyone could include retailers of vaping products who want to ensure the products they sell are legal.
“This registry would be a crucial step in regulating the rapidly evolving vaping industry and helping prevent the sale of these products to minors,” Katie Morris, director of marketing for Watkinsville-based Golden Pantry Food Stores, told the committee. “One of our top priorities in stores is to ensure that vaping products do not end up in the hands of children and teenagers.
“This registry would provide additional tools and oversight to help us as retailers who sell vape products achieve this goal,” Morris added. “The vaping industry is constantly changing, particularly with new products entering the market. Clear legislation is key to controlling which products can be sold in our stores and imported into our state, ensuring that only compliant and approved items are available to consumers.”
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
