Manufacturers are deliberately targeting our youth with Illicit and dangerous vapes,
both across the country and in our own backyard. As parents and grandparents, we
need to do more to bring awareness to this alarming situation.
I recently watched an interview with the head of the Tobacco Law Enforcement
Network, Rich Marianos, on Nevada Newsmakers, an interview that I believe every
parent and grandparent should watch (watch here). The Tobacco Law Enforcement Network is a national organization working to stop illicit vapes from reaching our kids. Marianos stated that, “eight out of ten of these products are illegal contraband and have no business in commerce.” This terrified me!
Marianos continued to say that law enforcement agencies across the country are
uncovering smoke shops and vape stores that serve as gateways to an international
criminal network. Investigators routinely discover illegal drug trafficking, money
laundering, tax evasion, and the sale of unregulated products smuggled from
overseas. Many of these operations have direct ties to Mexican cartels, Chinese
smugglers, and other foreign criminal syndicates exploiting gaps in federal
enforcement.
These are stores that you may walk by every day, or that your kids and grandkids
enter.
The Tobacco Law Enforcement Network has launched two websites designed to
educate parents, educators, and law enforcement about the illicit activity happening
inside smoke shops throughout the country.
The first is www.BehindSmokeShopdoors.com, which provides users with a virtual
walkthrough experience that reveals the hidden criminal enterprises operating behind the counters of these ubiquitous neighborhood storefronts.
The second is an information hub, www.BlackMarketBrief.com, which tracks criminal activity at smoke shops around the country and records key metrics, including arrests and drug seizures.
The interview prompted me to begin researching this issue more. I wanted to see how rampant this issue is and how close to home it is. I discovered stories about the issue here in South Lake Tahoe that discussed how vaping has been a growing issue in our area’s schools. The reality that vapes are also being found in our middle and elementary schools is even more troubling.
Last year, vape pens were confiscated at Minden’s Douglas High School, which
contained THC, ecstasy, fentanyl, and other drugs. Thankfully, these were discovered
before kids used them, as even small amounts of fentanyl can be fatal.
South Tahoe High School reports that vaping is a big concern on campus, prompting school officials to close restrooms on campus when monitors are not available. During a recent Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids (TASK) meeting, a school counselor from the high school said vaping is not going away, though the number of cases they’ve been involved with has gone down, more likely due to kids getting more savvy at hiding them, rather than any drop in vaping.
Parents need to be aware of the threats that illicit vapes and the stores that sell them
illegally pose. There are legitimate businesses and shops, of course, and the
websites I listed above can help you understand the difference between those
operating legally and those engaged in nefarious operations.
Many purchases of illegal vape juices and vape devices happen online, with students just getting them delivered to a home where they know they can be, and intercept the delivery before parents get home.
As a grandmother of three, and with family in law enforcement, our family is talking
about the issue of vapes with the children, as every family should!
Keeping our kids safe is getting tougher, and it takes all of us stepping up. I’m grateful we have organizations like the Tobacco Law Enforcement Network working to raise awareness and push these dangerous products off store shelves. Because when it comes to protecting our children, we cannot afford to look the other way.
Another good connection is with TASK, and they can be found at https://tahoesafekids.org/. Northern Nevada Public Health resources can be found at https://www.nnph.org/programs-and-services/phd/chronic-disease-prevention/be-tobacco-free/youth-vaping-prevention.php.
-Michelle Santo
Michelle Santo is a Nevada native who splits her time between Reno and South Lake
Tahoe.