Legislators Work To Educate Teens On Dangers Of Vaping

The Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission reports an almost 500 percent increase in minors caught with vape products since 2015. 

News 9’s Addie Crawford spoke with republican State Representative Cynthia Roe, who believes a big part of why this is so common is how easy vapes are to conceal. 

"You can throw a vape pen in your jeans pocket or backpack. Most of them, unless you’re standing right next to the person, you probably won't smell it like a cigarette,” Roe said. 

In the past, if a minor was caught vaping, Roe says they’d receive a fine. 

However, according to Roe, the real way to stop vaping is education. 

She worked on a bill to take away that fine and instead require a tobacco education course. 

Now, minors are required to learn about the health risks vaping causes, and if they don’t go through with the course, the minor will face a fine and possibly community service. 

Roe tells News 9 that keeping Oklahoma kids tobacco-free means a lot to both legislators and educators. 

Some schools in the state are putting sensors in bathrooms to crack down on minors concealing vapes in the classroom.