Cape Fear students push for tougher tobacco laws at state capitol

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Smoking at school has been a problem for generations, and even now, vaping continues that trend.

The state health department says one in eight high school students in North Carolina use vape products. It’s a problem students say happens in local schools every day. That’s why some of those students are doing something about it.

“It affects my own friends, I see it in my high school, in my everyday life,” said Be Lanier, a sophomore at Cape Fear Academy in Wilmington. “So, to me it’s kind of a ‘why wouldn’t I?’ Why wouldn’t I advocate for this?”

Lanier is one of many students across the state who traveled to Raleigh on Wednesday to push state lawmakers for tougher tobacco laws.

Lanier and Max Hammer, a junior at Cape Fear Academy, represented New Hanover County. Both are teen council members for the Tobacco 21 Coalition.

They want North Carolina to align with federal laws that require buyers to be 21 to purchase nicotine and tobacco products. Right now, North Carolina is one of seven states where the legal age to buy is still 18.

North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement special agents can’t enforce the federal law because they’re state agents, not federal.

North Carolina is also one of only eight states that do not require a permit to sell nicotine products, which makes it difficult for law enforcement to enforce current laws.

House Bill 430 would change that. The bill would make it a Class 2 misdemeanor to sell tobacco or nicotine products to someone under 21. It would also require retailers to obtain a permit, with a renewal fee, each year.

The bill is also known as Solly’s Law, named after Solomon Wynn, a New Hanover High School student who died in 2023 from complications related to vaping.

Along with Wynn’s stepmom, Lanier and Hammer are advocates for the bill. They met with lawmakers Wednesday, including Sen. Michael Lee.

Both say vaping is an issue they see all the time, and they want to help stop it from becoming the norm.

“We’re doing it for the betterment of our schools, our community, and our state,” said Hammer. “Obviously, we’re lagging a little bit behind in terms of the rest of the country.”

Lanier and Hammer say even once they get home, back in the Cape Fear, they’ll continue to advocate.

“We plan on following up with senators and representatives we met with today,” said Hammer.

They encourage others to reach out too. Both Lanier and Hammer also plan to speak at the upcoming Wilmington city council meeting on May 4.

“We feel positively received,” said Lanier. “Every meeting I’ve gone to, I feel listened to.”