Teen advocates urge higher e-cigarette tax in Utah
Feb 28, 2019, 6:45 PM
In this Tuesday, April 10, 2018 photo Marshfield High School Principal Robert Keuther displays vaping devices that were confiscated from students.(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
SALT LAKE CITY – A group of teens is supporting a bill they say would stop underage e-cigarette use in Utah.
Students Against Electronic Vaping went to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to urge state lawmakers to pass HB 252.
It would increase the sales tax on electronic cigarettes to match other tobacco products. The group says it would stop teens from using e-cigs because then they couldn’t afford it any more.
They cite health department data that more than 45,000 teenagers are now using e-cigs in Utah and the number of teens who vape doubled between 2013 and 2017.
This is a cause that Representative Paul Ray has worked on for years. He says he hopes the bill will get out of committee this year.
