New rule at Texas A&M: Vaping is now banned on ‘every inch’ of the college’s campuses
No more vaping in Aggieland.
That was the message delivered Tuesday by Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp.
“We, as a society, are facing a serious health risk that we are just beginning to understand,” Sharp wrote in a memo to college officials. “Vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes have been associated with serious illness and deadly lung disease.
“I do not want to take any unnecessary chances with the health of our students, faculty and staff. To that end, I am directing the presidents of each of the 11 universities and the directors of the eight state agencies within the Texas A&M University System to ban the use of e-cigarettes and vaping as soon as possible.”
This comes as the number of lung illnesses tied to vaping have spiked across the country.
Reports show the number of cases being investigated across the country has grown to more than 800, the number in Texas is more than 50 and the number of cases in Tarrant County is at more than a dozen.
E-cigarettes don’t produce tobacco smoke. Instead, they heat up nicotine and flavoring to create a vapor people inhale. Many of the “pods” used in e-cigarettes, also known as vape pens, contain more nicotine than cigarettes.
“Smoking is banned in most places in the System already,” Sharp wrote in his memo. “But the ban on vaping is to be mandatory and expanded to every inch of the Texas A&M System.”
That includes every parking lot and garage, every building, every laboratory and all outside spaces within the Texas A&M System, every property where the university has a presence, he said.
That would include Tarleton State University, which is part of the A&M system. Tarleton has campuses in Stephenville and Fort Worth.
It also would include Texas A&M law school in Fort Worth
“Further, I think it would be appropriate and responsible to stop selling any e-cigarette products or vaping paraphernalia, if there are any points of sale at any place within our vast System,” Sharp wrote. “I would like to see the ban in place today, but I understand the practicalities of running major institutions.
“So I will ask that the bans be implemented as soon as is practical.”
As more and more cases of lung illness tied to vaping are reported, President Donald Trump has said his administration will consider banning the sales of flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pods.
Walmart and HEB recently announced they will phase out or ban sales of e-cigarettes.
This story was originally published October 1, 2019 at 2:35 PM.
