House Bill 430 would raise the legal age to buy all tobacco and nicotine products from 18 to 21 matching the federal law.
While federal law already makes it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under 21, the devices are still showing up in school bathrooms, hallways and backpacks across the state.
Now, supporters are pushing for stronger oversight at the state level.
“Everybody used to just be in the bathroom just in there hitting vapes and everything,” a recent high school graduate said
Vapes fit in your palm, smell like candy, and for many teens, they’re easier to get than ever before.
“Anybody can get one it didn’t matter what you knew or who you knew you could get it,” the graduate said.
An e-commerce expert said the school hallway isn’t the only place where young people can find these products.
With just a few taps on a phone, vaping devices can arrive right at your front door.
“It’s actually incredibly alarming as an employee of a company to find out that there are no safeguards in place,” the ecommerce expert said. “As the phone calls come in and you explain, they realize that’s their middle school to high school aged child that’s supposed to be ordering pizza while they’re out on a way for a vacation or something, and not cannabis vape products.”
That’s why students and supporters across North Carolina are urging lawmakers to pass House Bill 430.
The proposal would not only ensure state law matches the federal age of 21, but also require retailers to buy a $400 annual permit and give state agents more power to inspect stores and penalize businesses that don’t follow the rules.
“Tobacco restrictions are very clear on the minimum use age, and it’s very, very easy to hire a web developer that puts in the right plug in for age verification if you are doing e-commerce,” the expert said.
Supporters say the goal is to close the loopholes and implement stronger state oversight — giving parents, schools and communities another tool to keep young people from developing a lifelong addiction.
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