Page 8 - Demo

Story by Phoenix Boggs
Go find four friends. Chances are, at least one of you has vaped in the past year. This is according to data from the Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, published in 2017 at the University of Michigan. This study found that 13.3% of 8th graders and 27.8% of 12th graders have vaped in the past year. One out of every 10 students who vaped reported vaping nicotine. One out of every 20 vaped marijuana. Alarming data such as this has led to some changes in how Brevard County treats minors who vape.
For the first time, minors caught with vapes or e-cigarettes will be cited legally- even if they don’t use nicotine or tobacco. Brevard County has passed new laws that restrict the underage usage of vapes. While Florida law has always prohibited the use of vapes by juveniles, the county’s new citations place a renewed emphasis on the existing law. These laws, which involve legal citations of minors with e-cigarettes, are already in effect. Discussion at the county level about
these rules and restrictions was prompted by the rise in popularity of vapes, and more specifically
juuls, in recent years.
Before the new restrictions, a person under
18 would not receive a citation for solely the possession of a vape or other e-cigarette device. A juvenile would receive a citation only if they were in possession of nicotine or tobacco products. Now, the law states that it is a citable offense for a juvenile to be in possession of any “nicotine dispensing device.” A “nicotine dispensing device” is any device capable of producing vapor from a nicotine product, including any and all electronic cigarettes. A juvenile can be cited for having a vape, even if the
vape doesn’t have any nicotine in it.
“Now, the device itself is what’s prohibited,” Deputy
David Turbeville, Edgewood’s new SRO, said.
The county decided to pass new rules about vapes after worries surfaced concerning their
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