NC lawmakers to introduce vaping legislation

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- There is a new, bipartisan push to crack down on vaping and tobacco use among teens.

North Carolina lawmakers introduced House Bill 430, also known as "Solly's Law," on Wednesday.

"North Carolina is one of only seven remaining states that has not raised the age to 21," Rep. Donnie Loftis, R-Gaston, said. "This is important because 95% of tobacco users start before the age of 21, risking a lifetime of addiction and chronic disease."

The new bill aims to raise the legal sales age of tobacco products to age 21 and to require a tobacco retail sales permit.

"Solomon knows that we are honoring his life and that we are making sure that nobody else suffers the way he did," Charlene Zorn said.

Zorn is the stepmother of "Solly" Wynn, who was a high school football player and was only 15 years old when he died after being hospitalized for illnesses due to vaping.

She shared how her stepson went from a "healthy high school freshman," to a "sick kid almost overnight," before he died in June 2023.

"I am so honored and so thankful that lawmakers wanted to sponsor a bill named after my stepson," Zorn said. "Do I wish we weren't doing this? Absolutely. But it has to be done."

The bill is also supported by some teens who shared how they've seen firsthand how vaping and tobacco use impact their schools.

"It's like there is a cloud," Harley Lanier said about teen vaping in high school bathrooms. "You can't breathe ... and you notice people are not using the bathroom. So now you're making me late to class and it's just a whole big ordeal."

Lanier was standing alongside Madison Kornegay, who both went to the Capitol representing East Duplin High School.

The students said how they're concerned about the long-term effects vapes and nicotine products have on their classmates, hoping the bill gets passed and ultimately, makes a difference in young people's lives.

"It affects every part of their body and they don't understand what they're doing," Madison Kornegay said. "We just want to really protect them."

Following the bill as it makes its way through the legislature is the first step, which could take many different shapes before it hopefully passes through both chambers and becomes law.

The introduction of the vaping bill follows the introduction of a new proposed concealed carry bill and a bill over DEI hiring.