Owasso State Senator J.J. Dossett is proposing we add vaping to Oklahoma’s Tobacco Free School Zone laws. Many schools already prohibit the practice.
Dossett thinks it should be added to the law to make the regulation uniform across the state. Vaping has become a big issue at many high schools in Oklahoma.
Dossett said under Senate Bill 33, the Tobacco-Free Schools Act, which bans tobacco products in all forms, the ban would be extended to vapor products, including the noncombustible device as well as the cartridges whether or not they contain nicotine.
In addition to the harm nicotine can cause to children and teens, Dossett said there are other chemicals in the aerosol from e-cigarettes that are also alarming. Diacetyl, which is used in flavoring vaping products, has been linked to an irreversible and serious lung condition called obliterative bronchiolitis. The aerosol also contains other chemicals and heavy metals. Studies are being conducted to determine the impact of these materials on the user and for those exposed to secondhand vapors.
Dossett is a former Oklahoma school teacher.