HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES-2026-041- Resolution in Support of Tobacco 21 to Protect Youth from Vaping and Nicotine Addiction RES-2026- 041 jgC " CW ILOISW
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Resolution in Support of Tobacco 21 to Protect Youth
from Vaping and Nicotine Addiction
WHEREAS , one of every five deaths in North Carolina is associated with cigarette
smoking , ' and for each death , 30 more people are sick or live with a disability2 ; and
WHEREAS , 95 % of tobacco users start before the age of 213 and
WHEREAS , as of 2022 , 27 % of high school students in North Carolina report tobacco
use , with e-cigarette use having significantly increased among youth since 201 14 ; and
WHEREAS , nicotine is harmful to developing brains , and its use during adolescence can
disrupt the formation of brain circuits that control attention , learning , and susceptibility to
addictions ; and
WHEREAS , in a 2020 study among North Carolina schools , a high proportion of school
administrator and teacher respondents believed that e-cigarette use among students is
somewhat or very problematic ( 91 % ) , and that student e- cigarette use is a somewhat or
high priority issue for their school administration ( 90 % ) 6 ; and
WHEREAS , most North Carolina young people obtain tobacco products , including e -
cigarettes , from retailers , and NC young people who get e-cigarettes from friends
primarily get them from friends who are under 21 ' ; and
WHEREAS , in 2019 , the United States Congress increased the federal minimum legal
sales age of all tobacco products , including e -cigarettes; from 18 to 21 , and while a
majority of states (44 states , as of March 2026 ) have increased their minimum tobacco
sales age to 21 to match federal law , North Carolina ' s minimum sales age remains 188 ;
and
WHEREAS , having the same legal sales age at 21 for alcohol and tobacco products
reduces the burden on retailers ; and
WHEREAS , North Carolina is one of only seven states in the country that does not require
tobacco retailers to obtain a license or permit9 ; and
WHEREAS , the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC ) Commission is capable
of implementing an efficient and effective tobacco retailer permitting system based on the
system also in place for alcohol retailer permitting ; and
WHEREAS , establishing a retailer permitting system AND raising the minimum legal sale
age to 21 will :
• Allow the State to know where tobacco products are being sold
• Improve merchant education efforts
• Allow the State to inspect for responsible retail practices
• Protect law-abiding retailers by holding non -compliant retailers accountable
• Prevent and reduce youth use of highly addictive nicotine products
• Help eliminate the use of e-cigarette and other emerging nicotine products in
schools
• Reduce any confusion among retailers and consumers by having one legal sales
age for state and federal law101 11 ; and
WHEREAS , under the Federal Synar law , states are expected to reduce the illegal sale
of tobacco products to individuals under the age of 21 , with NC potentially losing over
$ 5 . 2 million in annual funding from the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block
Grant money (funds NC uses to pay for drug treatment) through penalties under the
federal Synar amendment if sales to underage youth are too high in required annual
inspections12 ;
NOW, THEREFORE , BE IT RESOLVED , that the Orange County Board of
Commissioners supports policy changes for North Carolina to protect our children and
youth from vaping and nicotine addiction by establishing a tobacco retailer permitting
system , raising the minimum age of sales from 18 to 21 , and adopting other needed
provisions of legal sales of tobacco products to match federal law .
Adopted this 16t" Day of June , 2026 .
gate ��4 an Hamilton , Chair
Olt Orange County Board of Commissioners
17 ` 52
Or g2ttali
Sources :
1 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco
Control Programs-2014 . 2014 .
https : //www , cdc . gov/tobacco/stateandcommunitV/best practices/index . htm .
2 . National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion ( US ) Office on
Smoking and Health . Reports of the Surgeon General . The Health Consequences of
Smoking - 50 Years of Progress : A Report of the Surgeon General . 2014 .
3 . Source : U . S . Department of Health and Human Services . Preventing Tobacco Use
Among Youth and Young Adults : A Report of the Surgeon General , Atlanta : U . S .
Department of Health and Human Services , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , Office on
Smoking and Health , 2012 .
4 . Source : Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch , North Carolina Department of Health
and Human Services . North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey Middle & High School Fact
Sheet . https : //tobaccopreventionandcontrol . dph . ncdhhs . gov/data/yts/docs/2022 - NCYTS -
Factsheet- Infographic . pdf
5 . U . S . Department of Health and Human Services . E -Cigarette Use Among Youth and
Young Adults . A Report of the Surgeon General . Atlanta , GA : U . S . Department of Health
and Human Services , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , Office on Smoking and Health , 2016 .
6 , Tanz , L . , Heck , C . , Herzig , C . , Ranney , L . , Herndon , S . , Martin , J . , Hast , M . , McGowan ,
E . , Baler, G . , Shamout , M . , King , B . , Tynan , M . , Kansagra , S . (2020) . Rapid Assessment
of the Impact of E -cigarettes on Schools as Reported by School Staff and E - cigarettes
Confiscated by Schools — North Carolina , 2019 . Unpublished manuscript .
7 . CDC Foundation . North Carolina Cross-Sectional , Online Survey Summary Tables .
2021 : 1 - 104 .
8 . Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation , Tobacco 21 , (2024) , https : //tobacco2l . org .
9 . State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation ( STATE ) System Licensure Fact
Sheet , Ctr . For Disease Control ( last reviewed : November 1 , 2024 ) ,
https : //www . cdc . gov/statesystem /factsheets/licensure/ Licensure . html#anchor 15628541
61 .
10 , Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults : A Report of the Surgeon
General , U . S . Dept of Health and Hum . Serv . (2014) ,
https : //www , ncbi . nlm . nih . gov/books/ NBK99237/ pdf/Bookshelf NBK99237 . pdf.
11 . Roee L . Astor , et al . , Tobacco Retail Licensing and Youth Product Use , Pediatrics (Jan .
7 , 2019) ,
https : Hpediatrics . aappublications . org/content/pediatrics/ 143/2/e20l73536 . full . pdf.
12 . Revision to SAMSHSA Guidance on Tobacco Regulation , Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (June 13 , 2022 ) .
i
I
i
i
i
1
Z
s