May 23, 2025

Vape fear

The City Council moved forward on an effort to ban the sale of synthetic nicotine products and e-cigarettes within 1,000 feet of a public or private school or daycare.

Citing the dangers of e-cigarettes among young people, Council Member Krista Laine’s first resolution directs the city manager to explore options to regulate the sale of such products and to propose amendments to the Land Development Code to prohibit their sale near schools.

Several speakers spoke in support of the measure, including Betsy Jones of Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth and the Austin Drug-Free Youth Coalition. “Research tells us that greater access to substances equals greater use of those substances,” she said, noting the variety of flashy marketing tactics used to target young people.

As the resolution states, “The adolescent brain does not fully develop until about the age of 25 years old, and nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm the developing brain and cause addiction.” Children under the age of 18 make up 17 percent of Austin’s population, the resolution further notes.

In her remarks before the vote, Laine said that during her many years of working with schools in the Austin area, “the issue of vaping on campus has come up consistently. Our kids are impacted by the availability of e-cigarettes in countless ways – from negative health impacts to harsh state-mandated disciplinary measures.” She added she is most worried about the state’s disciplinary requirements because they often lead to the school-to-prison pipeline.

— Amy Smith