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By Kathleen Finney
May 20, 2025 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon made history when its city council unanimously approved an ordinance that would ban the sale of disguised vape devices in an effort to help local schools control the youth vaping epidemic. Now, they need to focus on strictly enforcing tobacco restrictions at the point of sale.
The ordinance, which went into effect on April 10, is the first of its kind in California; the only other similar ban nationwide can be found in Minnesota, where a statewide ban on the sale of disguised vape products passed in 2024. This decision displays El Cajon’s eagerness to protect the health of East County youth but fails to address the issue at the root of teen vaping.
As it stands, the sale of flavors in California has been outlawed since 2022 with the passing of Senate Bill 793. The passing of such legislation marked our state as a national leader in the fight against big tobacco, but that doesn’t mean all flavored vapes for sale have suddenly disappeared.
Enforcement of the ban is left primarily up to local law enforcement, which are subject to state law and local law. When a city doesn’t make an effort to strictly enforce the flavor ban, flavored tobacco products remain on the shelves and in the hands of teenagers.
If the El Cajon City Council wants to further protect the health of our youth, they need to specifically add flavored tobacco products to their list of prohibited products and follow through with enforcement.
Banning the sale of disguised vapes is a major step toward preventing lifelong nicotine addictions for today’s youth. Disguising tobacco and marijuana products as school supplies, key fobs, and accessories is one of the major ways vape companies specifically target children, hooking them on nicotine at their most vulnerable to turn them into lifelong customers.
However, while banning disguised vapes may hinder some students from purchasing vapes and hiding them from parents and teachers, the bigger problem is the continued sale of flavors in El Cajon stores.
Experiencing the fun, fruity flavors of vapes remains one of the main reasons teens and pre-teens experiment with tobacco in the first place. Unlike cigarettes, known for their unpleasant smell, vapes are distinguished by their sickly-sweet scents and flavors.
These scents are familiar to all teenagers, not just those who vape, due to their prevalence in high schools.
“The boys’ bathroom almost always smells like a slushy now,” Griffith Duffy, a Sophomore at Granite Hills High School, said.
If flavors are still so prevalent among local high school students almost three years after the flavor ban was enacted, is El Cajon doing enough to enforce it?
Word travels fast among teenagers, especially with social media. It’s cliche, but it’s true. If one teen finds a store with flavors still in stock, or if they know of a salesman willing to pull some strings, it’s only a matter of time before word spreads and all teens will have even easier access to these products.
With their ban on disguised vapes, the El Cajon City Council made it clear that they intend to fight back against the teen vaping epidemic caused by bog tobacco. I admire the initiative shown by Councilmember Gary Kendrick in trying to change the city’s vape culture. But by neglecting to create and enforce clear regulations for the sale of flavored tobacco products, they’re continuing to allow our youth to fall into lifelong addictions before they even turn 18.
The opinions in this reader’s editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org
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