SALT LAKE CITY — As growing number of Utah students are experimenting with electronic cigarettes, state lawmakers are toiling with how to keep it from getting out of control.

“We have third- and fifth-graders reported to have been getting these devices from their parents,” Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, told members of the Utah Legislative Judiciary Interim Committee on Wednesday. She said if parents aren’t the culprits, then specialty tobacco shops sliding under existing regulations are.

“We have established a policy in utah about youth vaping and we need to enforce it,” Lisonbee said.

Use is up among Utah teens, and so is the number of district violations, she added, as vaping “is the popular thing to do” and is “glamorized” by celebrities.

“It is used as a stress reliever. Kids are reporting using it for anxiety, depression and a lack of meaningful relationships,” Lisonbee said. “They don’t know or believe the consequences and parents don’t know that it’s wrong.”

Brightly colored and uniquely flavored, nicotine-containing cartridges attract kids, which is why Utah lawmakers prohibit selling such stuff to minors. Though, Lisonbee said some shops are classifying these sales as “accessories,” so as to not draw attention from law enforcement and/or health department regulators.

“It’s a big problem right now,” she said.

Lisonbee was a member of an interim work group assigned to discuss increasing use of e-cigarettes among Utah teens and how it can be combated leading up to the coming legislative session. She said four committees plan to draw up bills that will work together to address the issue statewide.

Utah has the 13th highest vaping use in the country, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which estimates 5.1 percent of Utah teens use e-cigarettes. The same report estimates 3.9 million middle school and high school students currently vape, despite ongoing concern regarding increasing rates of related disease.

While more and more kids are believed to be using the potentially harmful substances, school districts have little instruction on what to do with paraphernalia once it is found or confiscated, which was among the topics of discussion during Wednesday’s Education Interim Committee meeting.

Some school administrators are returning them to parents who request them because they don’t know if they have the legal authority to dispose of them or hand them over to law enforcement.

“That’s the problem, nobody’s sure. We want to make sure it’s clarified so everyone is sure,” said Rep. Susan Pulsipher, R-West Jordan, part of the legislative working group that has been meeting since May.

Pulsipher said more is learned about the dangers of vaping daily. There is also movement on the federal level to further regulate the products.

Many youth believe the devices are harmless and even elementary school-age students are trying them, she said. Older students vape in school restrooms which, Pulsipher said, “is actually terrifying.”

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The federal government will act to ban thousands of flavors used in e-cigarettes, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, responding to a recent surge in underage vaping that has alarmed parents, politicians and health authorities nationwide.

“It contains nicotine that tastes like candy so it’s a very addictive substance,” she said.

The percent of youths grades 8, 10 and 12 who are using vape products has nearly doubled since 2013 while adult use of the products has plateaued, she said, quoting recent health department survey statistics.

While some lawmakers agreed there is a need for state policy to guide schools and ensure there are resources to assist students, others, like Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, questioned why local school boards and charter boards couldn’t create their own policies now instead of waiting for the Utah Legislature to act in 2020.

“Do they have to wait until we act and until that law goes into effect or can local education agencies take that step now?” Fillmore said.

The committee is considering three approaches: adding vaping and e-cigarettes to health education for elementary school-age students; providing consistent penalties for underage users; and creating school-based plans to provide opportunities to help students feel more connected and included at school.

Both committees voted to open bill files to move toward additional legislation, including public education’s role in addressing vaping, as well as keeping it out of kids’ hands altogether.

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