In Oklahoma, 21.7% of high school students use e-cigarettes. That’s more than double the national average.
The state-run public trust, TSET, funds programs to lower this Oklahoma statistic. Its latest initiative includes more than $50,000 in funds for the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission to boost efforts to prevent people under 21 from accessing tobacco and vape products.
The four-pronged approach will include compliance checks to ensure vape and tobacco suppliers follow the law, law enforcement training, student education and vapor product online registry improvement.
In Oklahoma, it is illegal to buy tobacco or vapor products if you are under the age of 21. Thomas Larson is the director of public information and governmental affairs at TSET. He said 18% of kids are getting their vaping products from door-to-door delivery services.
“The tobacco industry is always looking for ways to hook that next generation, and sometimes it takes policy and enforcement a while to catch up,” Larson said. “And of course, those delivery services have added a new wrinkle into enforcement.”
With the funds from TSET, the ABLE Commission will complete approximately 100 more compliance checks.
“Now we need to start looking at DoorDash and Postmates and those folks that bring goods straight to your door,” Larson said. “How are they making sure that those products don't fall into the hands of someone who's under 21?”
The ABLE Commission also plans to improve the vapor product registry, which tells retailers which vaping products can and can’t be sold in Oklahoma. Currently, the registry exists online as a lengthy, hard-to-read PDF, but Larson said the commission proposes putting it on a website so it will be more searchable and user-friendly.
