Senate Education Committee advances anti-vaping bill

State Sen. J.J. Dossett has cleared the first hurdle for legislation banning vaping in school. The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday gave unanimous approval to Senate Bill 33, a measure to expand the Tobacco-Free Schools Act to ban the use of any vaping products, including noncombustible devices as well as the cartridges, whether or not they contain nicotine. The ban applies to any public or private school buildings and vehicles.

Dossett, a former teacher, held an interim study during the fall to look at the use of vaping products in Oklahoma schools. He said the increasing use of vaping products by students is alarming. Various studies show the number of teens who vape has exploded in recent years, but Oklahoma’s laws banning smoking in schools have not been updated to address e-cigarettes.

“The bottom line is just because it’s an e-cigarette, it doesn’t mean it’s safe. Kids particularly like JUULs. They look like a USB flash drive and kids can easily sneak them into the classroom and blow the vapors into their backpacks. But a JUUL pod can deliver as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes,” said Dossett, D-Owasso. “Nicotine is highly addictive and it hurts brain development in kids and can impact their ability to learn. Besides the harm nicotine does, there are other chemicals in these products that can damage the lungs of the kids who vape and the people around them.”

SB 33 will next be considered by the full Senate.

“I’m grateful for the support I received from the committee and look forward to taking this bill to the full Senate for a vote,” Dossett said. “It’s time we closed this loophole in the law and keep vaping out of our schools.”