Principals urge Aiken City Council to consider zoning limits on vape shops near schools

Principals at two Aiken high schools brought evidence of widespread student vaping to the Aiken City Council on April 14 and asked the city to consider local strategies—including a zoning buffer like the one that currently applies to liquor stores—to limit youth access to tobacco-style vaping products.

Sam Fuller, principal of South Aiken High School, told council members that schools are confiscating large quantities of tobacco vapes. Fuller displayed a bin collected at South Aiken and other county high schools that contained vapes confiscated since Sept. 9, 2024; he said the exhibit excluded THC vapes, which law enforcement handles separately. "Vape usage has dramatically changed the dynamics of access and prevention," Fuller said, adding that flavored products and devices marketed to youth make prevention harder.

Fuller requested two actions from the council: adopt zoning rules to treat retail outlets whose primary business is vapes, CBDs and loose tobacco like liquor stores are treated under S.C. law (a 300‑foot distance restriction from schools, churches or…