Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Vaping topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Officials say ordinance targets illegal sales and aims to protect students near Rubber Avenue
Summary
Officials and a local official said the proposal is designed to target illegal sales to minors and called out several vape shops near the high school on Rubber Avenue; speakers described frequent student vaping incidents and urged enforcement tools for police.
Virgil Kimball told the hearing the ordinance is intended to target illegal behavior—particularly sales to minors—and to give police tools to keep students safe. He noted that roughly half of the borough’s vape stores are concentrated on Rubber Avenue, a corridor that also houses the high school, and recounted frequent vaping incidents while he worked at the high school.
"A lot of people don't even realize that you have to be 21 to buy a vape," Virgil Kimball said, arguing enforcement and licensing are needed so compliant businesses are not penalized while illegal sellers can be addressed.
Kimball and other speakers framed the proposal as public-safety oriented, not a business ban. The record includes a Staff member’s explanation that the borough lacks a state statutory cap on the number of shops (unlike liquor or cannabis), so local rules and zoning will be the primary tools for reducing proximity to schools.
