UC expert explains potential impact of Pennsylvania’s new vape product law
Ashley Merianos, PhD, a professor in the UC School of Human Services, spoke with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a story about the impact of a new Pennsylvania state law that restricts the sale of vape products.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that after Act 57 was passed last year, the state’s Attorney General built a directory of approved electronic delivery system products. As enforcement of the law began this week, businesses across the state were rushing to remove merchandise not in compliance with the law.
The restrictions are designed to try and reduce the number of young people using vape products, but enforcement might be difficult and limit the law’s effectiveness.
Dr. Ashley Merianos
“The first states that have passed similar laws have not seen lasting declines, especially in the disposable products that teens use the most,” Merianos told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “If the goal is to protect teens from becoming the next generation of tobacco users, enforcing tobacco age requirement laws at every tobacco sale will likely do more than the approved list.”
Merianos, also a research affiliate member of the Thirdhand Smoke Research Consortium, told the Post-Gazette that limiting access to the vape products could have unintended consequences.
“Demand for vaping products does not disappear when the non-approved products are pulled from shelves,” said Merianos. “A major concern is that some of the demand may shift to online sellers, neighboring states, or under-the-counter sales. Another concern is that adults who switched from combustible tobacco products like cigarettes to vaping products may go back to smoking.”
As a health services researcher, Dr. Merianos has extensive training and experience in the epidemiology and prevention of substance use with an emphasis on tobacco, quantitative statistical methods, and clinical and translational research in the pediatric healthcare setting. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist and Tobacco Treatment Specialist.
Read the full story online in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Learn more about the research of Ashley Merianos online.
Featured top image of a smoke outlet store. Photo/iStock.
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