The Lynn School Committee voted unanimously to support house bill H.2654, an act to minimize youth vaping and support addiction prevention services. The bill is aimed to provide an excise tax to vaping companies and to hold these same companies accountable for the damage that vaping is causing for today’s youth.
“As a social worker I have clients who are addicted to vaping and e-cigarettes,” said School Committee Member, Brian Castellanos. “The same goes for the JUUL pods that are highly addictive and getting into the hands of our kids. This has been an issue for some time now and it’s vital that we as a school committee, identify this need to support the state house because it’s critical for prevention. As leaders in the community, it will be good to be a part of this as a collective body to protect our students. When the four-month ban is lifted I’d rather be proactive than reactive.”
Due to recent vaping-related illnesses, Gov. Charlie Baker ordered a four-month ban on the sale of all vaping products in the state of Massachusetts. The ban, approved by the state’s Public Health Council, took effect in mid-September, and will last through January 25th. It includes both flavored and unflavored vaping products and applies to both online and retail sales.