Increasingly, unregulated vaping products are showing up in schools. (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan).
As the former sheriff of Knox County, the executive director of the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association, and a law enforcement professional with more than 20 years of experience, I have dedicated my career to protecting Hoosier families. I’m increasingly concerned about unregulated vapor products infiltrating our schools and communities.
What troubles me, both as a law enforcement professional and as a father and grandfather, is the widespread availability of these products and their overt marketing toward young people.
School resource officers across Indiana regularly confiscate brightly colored vapes with flavors like cotton candy, fruit punch, and bubble gum. Products with youth-appealing packaging and flavors aren’t designed for adults trying to quit smoking — they appear targeted to attract younger users. While regulated American-made vaping products under review and oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, many unregulated imports bypass these safety and youth prevention measures.
The concern extends beyond just access. When school resource officers (SRO) confiscate these devices from minors, we cannot tell parents with any certainty what their children have been inhaling. This uncertainty about product contents presents a significant public health concern for our youth.
The scale of this issue is substantial. These products are illegal under federal law but are still readily available in many gas stations, vape shops, and convenience stores throughout Indiana. When students can easily purchase these devices from brick-and-mortar businesses, our prevention efforts in schools become significantly more difficult. We need to change that.
What can be done
A potential legislative solution would be creating a comprehensive database of approved vapor products and manufacturers, with appropriate enforcement mechanisms including fines for non-compliance and seizure authority. This approach would give law enforcement the tools needed to identify and remove unauthorized products from our communities.
From my discussions with school administrators, fellow sheriffs, school safety officials, and school resource officers across our state, I can attest that we need action on this issue. As co-chair of the National Sheriff’s Association School Safety Committee, I have seen how vaping concerns intersect with broader school safety issues, not to mention the potential long-term health implications for young people.
We are witnessing increasingly younger students being drawn to these products by attractive packaging and flavors, only to develop nicotine dependencies. This is not just about law enforcement—it is about protecting the well-being of the next generation.
Indiana has always shown leadership in addressing challenges that affect our communities’ health and safety. Lawmakers have an opportunity this session to establish a precedent in addressing this growing concern.
The safety of our children depends on taking thoughtful, decisive action. Let’s ensure that Indiana leads the way in protecting our youth from potentially harmful unregulated products. Our children’s health and future deserve our committed attention.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
Stephen P. Luce