Another Postponement For Vaping Presentation In Morris Twp

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ — A presentation on teen vaping and a possible new vaping ordinance has been postponed for a second time in Morris Township.

First scheduled for Feb. 20, snow pushed the committee meeting back to Feb. 27. Now, just the presentation is being postponed to avoid a conflict with Morristown On Stage.

"The Morristown On Stage benefit for the Morris School District is the same date and time, and we did not wish to cause any conflict with parents having to choose which event to attend," township officials said.

A new date for the presentation has not been announced. The underage vaping ban is currently scheduled for a vote at the March 20 committee meeting.

The ordinance would ban the possession of tobacco, smokeless tobacco, and electronic tobacco devices, more commonly known as e-cigarettes or vapes, by anyone under 21, the legal age to buy nicotine products.

Buying nicotine underage is currently illegal, but it is not illegal to possess tobacco if you are underage, township officials said at the Jan. 16 meeting. Morris Township Mayor Jeffrey Grayzel called the proposal "groundbreaking legislation."

"We are going to try to lead the way in the state of New Jersey to take hold of the epidemic that's gripped schools around the country, but also in our community. Police brought this to our attention, we have recourse officers in our schools, and this will give them some enforcement tools to deal with this problem," Grayzel said.

Township Administrator Timothy Quinn said that police would take more of an intervention approach than a punishment approach to enforcing the ordinance, and that police would likely contact a teen's parents as the first step.

Prescribed medical marijuana consumed with a vaporizer device would not fall under the law, officials said.

Vaping has skyrocketed in popularity with teenagers in recent years, with 16 percent of all high school seniors saying they vape. Vaping increases the chance of turning to traditional cigarettes: 30 percent of teens who vape will start smoking cigarettes within six months, the National Institute on Drug Abuse says.

About two-thirds of teens who vape think their vapes are full of just flavoring; While there are nicotine free vapes, most tend to contain more nicotine than traditional cigarettes. One Juul pod, the most popular type of vape, contains 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine. They can also be used to vape marijuana.