Vaping Limits
The Nassau County legislators approved a bill that required retailers to place vamping products and e-cigarette behind the counter. This was an attempt to discourage young people from using these popular products.
The bill had a 7-0 margin in the Rules and social services and health committees. If a seller is caught with the products at the front counter or near candies and toys, they will be fined. The bill also limited the point of sale advertising for e-cigarettes and vaping products. The aspire cleito review points out that the rules and health committee agreed unanimously to pass the bill.
In countries like The Bahamas, vaping is not allowed and was completely banned. The Republican majority caucus sponsored the bill. A Democrat who is the county executive, Laura Curran, also backed it. The bill will be approved by the full legislature in their next meeting that will be held on July 9.
E-cigarettes are made containing a liquid that comes in flavors such as cotton candy and gummy bear. This is very enticing for young children. In a hearing on Monday, Legislature Rose Marie Walker said, “the cigarette looks very fun in the eyes of the children which is why they want to purchase it.”
In Nassau, the law is straight in that the buyers of any tobacco products must be at least 21 years old. However, stricter measures need to be put in place. A report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that over 2 million high school and middle school students had used and E-cigarette in the last 30 days. This was according to a study in the US in 2016. This represented 11.3% of high school students and 4.3% of middle school students
Other Bills
There was also a bill that was passed to authorize the county to design a website that will promote bullying awareness in an attempt to curb bullying. This website would contain resources for people who have been bullied, who are being bullied, types of bullying, and how to identify the signs that someone is being bullied. This website will be created for both the parents and the students. This bill was voted 7-0 by the rules committee. Legislature Joshua Lafazan also supported it.
Joe Salmone, who is the executive director against Bullying, said that in the past years, there was no concern for the issue. He also added, “There were many families who had looked for the resources about bullying but were unable to access it. Children are also reluctant to come out and speak openly about their struggles with bullying. The parents, on the other hand, have no idea what to look out for as signs of bullying or they have no idea what to do about bullying until the child is completely deep inside the situation.”
The rules committee also approved a bill that was sponsored by Laura Schaefer. The bill was aimed at making the county’s behavioral helpline, which is 24/7, to be more publicized.