Subcommittee hears testimony on H.3728 to curb flavored and illegal disposable vapes; no final vote

The General Laws Subcommittee took testimony on H.3728, a bill aimed at restricting the sale of certain flavored and otherwise illegal vapor products, hearing from students, parents, educators and advocacy groups about youth vaping and school impacts. The panel did not vote on the measure and recessed to reconvene at a later date for additional testimony.

Student witness Jack Ragley gave brief testimony urging action against marketing that confuses young consumers with candy‑like flavors. Erica R. Hersey, a retired educator, described the effects of disposable vapes on students’ health and classrooms, saying schools are spending taxpayer dollars on detection devices and school staff spend significant time managing vaping incidents. “Disposable vapes are cheap and intentionally designed to attract young users,” Hersey told the committee, and she cited flavors and product disguises that make detection difficult.

Benjamin Dickert, representing the Faith and Freedom Coalition of South Carolina, told members he supported the bill because of aggressive marketing and limited oversight of many products; he cited a poll figure he said showed about 47 percent of high‑school students admitted to vaping and recounted a cited incident in which a youth reportedly consumed a contaminated pen. Dickert said much of the manufacturing supply for disposable vapes is overseas and that enforcement challenges permit illicit products to reach children.

Committee members limited testimony to keep to the scheduled time and reserved further questioning for a reconvened meeting. The subcommittee concluded the day by voting to adjourn and agreed to reconvene Thursday of the following week to continue H.3728 testimony and deliberations.