A bill in Montpelier would reduce penalties for minors who possess and use flavored vapes, and increase penalties for people who sell to minors and without a license. Supporters say the bill is aimed at steering more young people toward prevention and tamping down on long-term health care costs associated with vaping.
“These costs build up and they are preventable. Fifty percent of patients who come into UVM every year have active smoking habits,” said Prospero Gogo, M.D., professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine and a cardiologist at the University of Vermont Medical Center.
The bill recently passed through the Vermont Senate and is now on its way to the House.