Don’t let our kids become addicted. Get illegal disposable vapes off the shelves | Opinion
A new school year always brings a sense of optimism and a fresh start. Students and teachers work together in an environment that promotes health and safety so they can begin a new journey of discovery.
Unfortunately, this year, a new hazard threatens that peaceful environment and could put students’ lives at risk. Illegal disposable vapes are being pushed on our children, disguised as school supplies and formulated in fruity flavors.
For several years, illegal disposable kid-friendly vapes have penetrated the walls of Florida schools, ending up in backpacks, lockers and lunch boxes. While teachers and administrators had cause for hope as rates of smoking rates and even of conventional vapes declined, a new sinister product has taken shape.
Illegal disposable vapes, some of which are marketed in colorful boxes with flavors like watermelon ice, kiwifruit and grape soda, are preying on kids with the goal of hooking them. They’re even marketed on TikTok and social media to catch kids where they are most vulnerable.
Several years ago, when the teen vaping epidemic captured the attention of parents and teachers nationwide, state and federal governments took action. Flavored vapes are banned nationwide. Unfortunately, the profiteers behind these companies got around the regulation. As a result, hundreds of millions of illegal vapes are imported from China, smuggled by unscrupulous distributors and sold in our communities each year.
While the federal government and the FDA serve an important role, it’s clear that enforcing the tobacco market isn’t their strong suit. At first, the FDA seemingly was unaware of the massive and growing problem of illegal disposable vapes. Its enforcement guidance focused on cartridge-based vapes, but ignored the new technology. Before they woke up to the issue and started changing their enforcement strategy with import restrictions and threatening letters, an international network of illegal vapes had already taken hold of America.
Perhaps most concerning about this wave of dangerous disposable vapes is the criminal element driving this illicit market. While the criminal tobacco market for cigarettes and other products already is a sophisticated multibillion-dollar international enterprise, fruity disposable vapes are their new favorite product.
Gangs, organized crime, and drug cartels are trafficking vapes as a lower-risk commodity on the same routes they use to traffic fentanyl to poison our nation. Admirably, some Senate members are working to raise awareness of cartel involvement in the trade of illegal tobacco products.
If these products are already illegal and banned nationwide — pouring into our nation and overwhelming our government — what can we do? It’s up to state and local elected officials and law enforcement leadership to take action.
New York City took a novel step and filed racketeering charges against distributors pumping these products into the city. It’s going up the supply chain while police and sheriffs are raiding stores and confiscating illegal products at the point of sale.
Florida’s officials must do the same. We should look at the New York City’s lawsuit and pursue something similar in our state. We need to use every legal and law enforcement tool at our disposal. While we mustn’t divert police resources from preventing violent crime, we must use the resources we have to great effect.
Teachers are trained to provide instruction, and we love the children who come through our schools as if they were our own. We are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment where they can avoid distractions and focus on learning new things.
When the time comes to protect our students from harm, we step up to the task. It’s time for parents, teachers, and law enforcement to band together and stop the scourge of illegal disposable vapes once and for all.
Sarah Leonardi is a former teacher and represents District 3 on the Broward County School Board.
