Madison County cracks down on vaping with new age restrictions, higher fines
A new law in Madison County is cracking down on vaping with fines up to $400.
The Madison County Board voted to ban the possession or use of vaping devices for anyone under the age of 21, brining local ordinance in line with state laws.
Per the ordinance, any youth found in possession of an e-cigarette or vaping device items may be fined up to $200 for a first offense. If they’re caught again within 36 months they could be met with a $400 fine.
Fines may be waived if the perpetrator agrees to take and “satisfactorily” complete an educational program within 90 days, according to the new ordinance.
County Board Member Chrissy Dutton of Bethalto brought the ordinance before the judiciary and health committees after received emails from a concerned parent last year. The issue also was discussed in the public safety and county institution committee.
“This is something we can do for public health and the safety of our youth,” County Board member Chrissy Dutton of Bethalto said.
The ordinance follows legislation at the state and national level, banning tobacco purchases for anyone under 21 and banning the manufacturing of certain flavored vape cartridges.
Board member Mike Parkinson, in a statement, said that the focus by the sub-committee is to deter youth from vaping and getting treatment for those who already use.
“It’s not just a punitive ordinance, it’s designed to help first-time offenders and get them off vaping products,” he said. “We have to take care of our kids, most importantly, we need to make sure they understand the consequences of what happens when they use these products.”
Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are electronic devices used to inhale aerosol or “vapors.” The devices hit the market in 2007 and have grown in popularity every year since.
The Monitoring the Future study found there were at least 1 million additional adolescent vapers in 2019 compared to 2018. The year before, a spike of 1.3 million vapers set the record of the biggest spike in an adolescent addiction in the studies 44-year span.
In 2018, the percentage of 12th grade students who reported vaping nicotine in the past 30 days nearly doubled from 11 percent to 21 percent, according to a University of Michigan Monitoring the Future study. The increase was twice as large as the previous record for largest-ever increase in addictive substance use from 12th graders.
In March, Highland High School Principal Chris Becker said vaping had become increasingly prevalent among students at the Madison County school.
In the 2017-18 school year, seven students at Highland Middle School were caught vaping and 33 were caught at the high school. As of March, with three months left in the school year, four students at the middle school and 28 at the high school have been disciplined.
In addition to the possible health issues vaping can bring, long term addiction is proving to be a new challenge for educators. According to Yale Medicine, most teens who vape aren’t aware that vaping can be addictive.
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 1:08 PM.