IT’S “easy” to buy e-cigarettes and vapes on Saipan even if you’re a minor or under 21 years old, according to residents interviewed by Variety.
“I’ve been vaping since I was 16. I was able to purchase my e-cigarette from a shop in Gaparan. They didn’t require an ID,” said a high school student who requested anonymity.
He said most of his friends, who are also below the age of 21, buy vapes and liquid refills.
“If they won’t sell, you can ask a 21-year-old or [an] older friend to buy it for you. Nobody knows who’s going to use it,” he added.
Under federal law, it is illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product — including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes — to anyone under 21.
Last month, Rep. Julie A. Ogo, Ind.-Rota, said she would introduce a bill to prohibit the possession and use by minors of any electronic vapor delivery devices, commonly known as e-cigarettes or vapes, and any liquids, regardless of chemical contents.
She said the bill would also propose “harsher penalties.”
Not safe
According to Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it’s still not safe.
Moreover, he said, research suggests vaping is bad for your heart and lungs; and electronic cigarettes are just as addictive as traditional ones.
Online
Vapes and e-cigarettes are also sold on online buy-and-sell platforms.
“I tried buying my refills from eBay or even from Guam online shops that ship to Saipan, but it’s easy to get it from here as well,” a local resident told Variety.
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. has expressed concern about the use of vapes and e-cigarettes among the youth.
CHCC said that according to the Public School System, “about 80% of [school] infractions come from vape/e-cig use and betel nut chewing. Issues around vape use among [the] youth continue to rise. Thankfully, we have not experienced major injuries or fatalities compared to other states and territories, but that does not mean we want to get to that point. We need a multi-faceted approach that has strong ‘[follow-through]’ to sustain interventions.”
CHCC said its Non-Communicable Disease Bureau has already started “building capacity” to include youth cessation.
NCDB is also collaborating with partners to develop a “robust campaign that highlights the consequences of vaping.”
“Since December 2022, we’ve been requested to conduct presentations at all the public schools about vaping,” CHCC said.
Currently, NCDB has a nicotine cessation program, which is for individuals who want to quit all forms of nicotine-use related to smoking, chewing and vaping.
For more information, community members are encouraged to call the Tobacco Quitline at (670) 323-(QUIT) 7848 from Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
