Cities in north Fulton County are joining the battle Fulton County schools are waging against vapes and teen nicotine use.
The Alpharetta City Council voted Monday night to explore the creation of an ordinance that effectively bans vape shops. The ordinance would need to be voted upon again before becoming law. The Council voted 6-1 for regulating the shops after much talk about child safety.
Vapes and e-cigarettes have a small heating element that turns liquid nicotine — often mixed with flavoring — into a vapor that doesn’t stick around in the air like tobacco smoke. Officials say the problem is that the long-term effects of vaping, especially by children, aren’t clear.
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In October, an Alpharetta student became unconscious after vaping "Green Mist" while at King's Ridge Christian School. Reports indicate the product was purchased from a Milton vape shop.
Alpharetta officials said they were inspired by Milton passing an ordinance in March which tries to discourage stores from selling vape devices, which are popular as a substitute for cigarettes but can also be used as synthetic alternatives to marijuana and opiates — also banned in Milton.
Milton Councilwoman Laura Bentley previously said she wanted to avoid being like Johns Creek, where "you will see a vape shop on every corner."
Apparently Johns Creek heard; the Johns Creek City Council on Monday also discussed regulating vape shops. Johns Creek spokeswoman Edie Damann said the Council on June 3 will consider what kinds of regulations they want to adopt.
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There is currently one existing vape shop in Alpharetta and another proposed. Alpharetta’s draft regulation would not allow any shop with 25% of its sales coming from vaporized nicotine products.
The Council discussed the basic economics: With Milton and Johns Creek already set to discourage the shops, Alpharetta might be the next city in the area vape shops look to do business in.
"I'm sort of at a loss to figure out any way we should allow a substance that is going to be harmful to us and our kids and our grandkids to be sold in Alpharetta," said Don Nahser, a resident who has been attending City Council meetings regularly since 1973.
Alpharetta police Chief John Robison said it is illegal to for children under 18 to buy vaping products, but, like any vice, there are plenty of ways around the rules.
“It is rampant in middle schools, it is rampant in high schools,” Robison said.
Fulton police and teachers aren’t the only ones trying to crack down.
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Cherokee County Schools on Tuesday announced its new policy saying that students found vaping will be "treated as if they are in possession of felony-level marijuana CBD and THC oil." That means immediate suspension and possible expulsion.
Katie Reeves, the Fulton County School Board member for North Fulton, said students are hiding the vapes, which are the size of a flash drive, in the folds of their hoodies.
“The teacher turns around, the room smells like strawberries and nobody knows the difference, it dissipates really fast,” Reeves said.
She said she remembers in the ’60s and ’70s when “everybody” smoked. “It was so cool, gave you something to do.” Reeves said this is different because the long-term effects of all the chemicals are not known.
“This is just a Herculean and impossible task for our schools to stay on top of,” she said. “They’re losing the battle right now.”
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