Health advocates and state attorney general's office urge Vermont to block vapes that mimic toys and school supplies

At a House Human Services Committee hearing, health advocates and the attorney general's office urged lawmakers to tighten Vermont's rules on vaping products that are designed to appeal to children and to move enforcement and penalties away from young people and onto retailers.

Tina Zukun, government relations director for the American Heart Association, displayed flavored vaping devices that she said "are technically considered hazardous waste" because "they do have lithium batteries and they do have nicotine," and described multiple designs that imitate toys, video games and school supplies. She told the committee the bill's key aim—to ban products that look like toys or school items—would reduce youth exposure and addiction. "They're designed to target kids," Zukun said, arguing that penalties for possession should be replaced with options for cessation services so addicted youth will seek help rather than face fines.

Assistant Attorney General Rose Kennedy, who leads tobacco enforcement work at the Attorney…