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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clinton, will make another attempt to pass a bill to regulate sales of e-cigarettes and vapor products statewide after a similar measure failed during the legislative session in 2013.
"We've had a 500 percent increase of youth using e-cigarettes in the past couple of years," Ray said. "It's dangerous; it's epidemic proportions, and we've got to do something about it."
While Ray is still writing up the bill, he said he hopes to model regulations after those created in Weber County.
"If you think of an overall comprehensive plan, Weber County's comes closest," he said.
A representative for the vapor industry in Utah told KSL he does not see a problem with uniform regulations. Austin Healy, owner of Peak Vapor in Taylorsville, said he would also support a statewide set of rules, as long as they're not overbearing.
"I'm not surprised," Healy said. "It's something that needs to happen, and it's something that's going to happen."
In addition, Healy said his store maintains a strict policy against selling to underage users and to ID all customers.
Ray said business owners would have to license through the state and could face stiffer penalties if they repeatedly sell to underage users.
"Right now, they can write an ordinance violation," Ray said. "Through tobacco licensing, if they continue to sell to minors in multiple offenses, we can actually close them down."
We've had a 500 percent increase of youth using e-cigarettes in the past couple of years. It's dangerous; it's epidemic proportions, and we've got to do something about it.
–Utah Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clinton
A likely point of contention, however, will likely center around taxing the vapor industry, similar to the way tobacco products are already taxed. Ray said the primary purpose would be to make vapor products too expensive for kids.
"Anybody with common sense understands the target market is youth," Ray said. "That's what they have to do to get the addictions going in order to maintain their business and revenue."
Healy argues the higher cost would hurt business.
"Thousands of jobs are created from this industry," Healy said. "To have it shut down because of a tax doesn't make sense to me."
Furthermore, Healy contends his business offers smokers a way to break free of the unhealthy habit.
"I haven't smoked for three years now, and it's been awesome," Healy said. "We want to show people another alternative. We want to be able to keep doing that. If these taxes and those regulations come in too hard, we're going to take that away from a lot of people that have found this as an avenue to be smoke-free."
Still, Ray said his focus is on keeping vapor products away from children, whether it has an impact on business or not.
"Don't blame the taxes, blame your business model," Ray said. "Revenue-wise, I could care less but the point of it is what we need to do is get the prices up so that kids can't afford it."
