A2195

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Donlon, Assemblyman Karabinchak, Assemblywomen Collazos-Gill, Carter, Assemblymen Sampson, Calabrese and Assemblywoman McCoy

SYNOPSIS

Directs DOE and DOH to develop guidelines for school districts and institutions of higher education concerning student vaping awareness campaigns.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act concerning vaping and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Department of Health and the Department of Education shall develop and distribute to school districts and institutions of higher education guidelines on how to implement anti-vaping campaigns on their campuses. The purpose of the guidelines shall be to assist school districts, colleges, and universities in equipping adolescents and young adults with research backed material on the dangers of vaping, or e-cigarette use, in an effort to combat the increased use of e-cigarettes among adolescents and young adults. The guidelines shall reflect findings and incorporate content from the “Tobacco Free for a Healthy NJ” program and the “Don’t Get Vaped In” training initiative developed by the Office of Tobacco Control and Prevention in the Department of Health. The Departments of Education and Health shall review and update the guidelines annually. In developing and updating the guidelines, the departments shall seek the input and recommendations of school district administrators, educators, health professionals, and other appropriate stakeholders.

b. The guidelines, developed pursuant to this section, at minimum, shall include recommendations for:

(1) implementing an in-school and on-campus multi-tiered anti-vaping campaign that focuses on theories that promote age-appropriate positive behavior change among adolescents and young adults;

(2) disseminating research-backed materials on the dangers of vaping, as it relates to: its effects on the users’ lungs, effects on mental health, how it compares to cigarette smoking, dangers to pregnant women, and its impact on people in the workplace and small children;

(3) using decision-making models and decision-making aids to help students make healthy decisions and overcome peer pressure that encourages vaping; and

(4) incorporating marketing materials, such as pamphlets, to promote on-campus age-appropriate anti-vaping information to middle school students, high school students, and college age adults.

c. The Departments of Education and Health shall post the guidelines developed pursuant to this section on the Internet websites of each respective department. The departments shall also include links on the websites to anti-vaping resources related to student e-cigarette use for school administrators, educators, staff, students, and their families.

2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

This bill directs the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Health (DOH) to develop guidelines for school districts and institutions of higher education that will facilitate the implementation of on-campus anti-vaping awareness campaigns that target student populations. The purpose of the guidelines is to assist school districts, colleges, and universities in equipping adolescents and young adults with research-backed information on the dangers of vaping in an effort to combat the increased use of e-cigarettes among adolescents and young adults. The DOE and DOH are to review and update the guidelines annually.

The guidelines, at a minimum, are to include recommendations for:

(1) implementing an in-school and on-campus multi-tiered antivaping campaign that focuses on theories that promote age-appropriate, positive behavioral change among adolescents and young adults;

(2) disseminating research-backed materials on the dangers of vaping, as it relates to: its effects on users’ lungs, effects on mental health, how vaping compares to cigarette smoking, dangers to pregnant women, and the impact of vaping on people in the workplace and small children;

(3) using decision-making models and decision-making aids to help students make healthy decisions and overcome peer pressure that encourages vaping; and

(4) incorporating marketing materials, such as pamphlets, to promote on-campus age-appropriate anti-vaping information to middle school students, high school students, and college age adults.

Under this bill, the DOE and DOH are to post the guidelines on the respective website of each department.

This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.