Kathy Hanley, a behavioral health program manager with the Western Connecticut Coalition, told members of the Naugatuck Valley regional meeting that the coalition is using funds from the JUUL settlement to run prevention work and that local action may be needed to curb underage vaping.

“The retail environment and how that affects underage use” is a focus of the coalition’s outreach, Hanley said, noting the group’s materials and maps showing clusters of vape stores in parts of the region.

The coalition’s presentation outlined three local concerns: flavored products that attract youth, a rapid rise in the number of retailers in recent years, and weak checks in some stores on what they sell. “When we look at our survey data … young people who indicate that they're using vapes, up to 90 percent of them are saying that they're using flavors,” Hanley said. She added that many disposable flavored products remain unauthorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and that federal enforcement has been slow.

Chelsea Kapitanzic, also a behavioral health program manager with the Western Connecticut Coalition, described what staff have observed in retail visits: cannabis-derived products sold alongside nicotine vapes and, in some stores, items such as nitrous oxide “poppers.” “For one of the visits … the poppers, we asked the store owner what they were … and he said he had no idea,” Kapitanzic said, arguing that such examples point to limited oversight in some retailers.

The presenters cited Department of Consumer Protection registration data showing an increase in the number of registered retailers in the coalition’s 43‑town service area from 204 in 2019 to 286 at the time of the presentation. They said Waterbury had 63 registered retailers and Naugatuck had 26, which the presenters translated into simple density figures — about 2.2 stores per square mile near Waterbury and 1.6 in Naugatuck — and noted that Connecticut lacks statewide rules limiting vape‑shop density the way some other regulated products are restricted.

The presenters pointed to possible local policy tools. Examples they gave included local flavor bans modeled on measures in other Connecticut municipalities, spacing limits used in Stamford, stricter registration or zoning checks so newly opened stores appear on inspection lists, and signage or window‑display rules to reduce child appeal. Hanley referenced the example of Tobacco 21 — the minimum age law that moved from local ordinances to statewide and federal adoption — as a precedent for change that began at the municipal level.

Local officials in the room offered examples of what they have tried. An elected official identified in the meeting as the mayor of Ansonia described placing a moratorium on new smoke or vape shops in that city and said it had stopped several planned openings. Other municipal officials asked about legal authority and whether towns could outright ban stores; presenters and legal‑aware participants cautioned that outright prohibitions could face state preemption or court challenges, while spacing, zoning and signage rules have been used elsewhere and are more commonly defensible.

Data presented by the coalition also showed a drop in statewide and regional youth vaping rates in recent years: Hanley said high‑school past‑30‑day use in the region fell from about 27 percent in 2020 to roughly 11.3 percent in 2023, while Naugatuck’s 2022 twelfth‑grade rate was reported at about 26 percent. The presenters emphasized prevention and school‑based supports, noting that some schools are exploring restorative responses for students who vape while also offering cessation services.

The presenters offered to share their handouts, maps and sample ordinance language with municipalities and said they can meet one‑on‑one with towns. The coalition also provided a consumer hotline and urged officials to report suspected unregistered retailers so they can be inspected.

No formal votes or municipal actions were taken at the meeting on the vaping topic. Presenters said they will continue outreach and offered to help towns draft zoning language or model ordinances for consideration.

Ending: The coalition left materials for distribution to municipal staff and said it will follow up with towns that request assistance; for now, officials were left with choices ranging from zoning refinements and temporary moratoria to signage rules and working with state enforcement programs.