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Scotland County Board backs Tobacco 21 resolution and urges legislative action
Summary
Board members voted to adopt a Tobacco 21 resolution supporting raising the tobacco sales age to 21 and aligning county efforts with statewide coalitions; Miss Holland cited state DHHS and national statistics on youth vaping and tobacco-related deaths.
The Scotland County Board of Health voted to adopt a Tobacco 21 resolution seeking to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21 and to support related legislative measures.
Miss Holland framed the resolution as a public health measure aimed at youth tobacco use and vaping. She told the board that "1 out of 5 deaths in North Carolina are associated with cigarette smoking" and that "95 percent of tobacco users, start using before the age of 21." She also cited a broader rise in youth vaping, saying "youth tobacco use is on the rise with 1,200,000 high schoolers reporting vaping" and noting that vaping rates among teens rose from around 15 percent in 2020 to 29 percent in 2024.
The resolution references House Bill 430 as the originating legislative vehicle and was reported to have been supported by the Health and Human Services Advisory Committee. After discussion, a motion to adopt the resolution was made and seconded; the board approved it by voice vote and staff said they would support forwarding recommendations to legislators and aligning local efforts with the statewide tobacco coalition.
