An initiative in the state of Arizona is working on combating the sale of vaping products to minors under the age of 21. Within the program, youth volunteers go undercover and “bust” illegal vendors.
The program, called Counter Strike, was initiated back in 2002 and run by the Arizona Attorney’s General Office Tobacco Enforcement Unit (TEU), along with the Arizona Department of Health. Through the initiative, young people accompanied by special investigators walk into stores and try to purchase nicotine products. Businesses found selling to them face fines of up to $1,000, while individual clerks can receive a fine of up to $300. If the vendor refuses to sell to the undercover teen, the investigators walk in and thank them for keeping tobacco away from teenagers. Since its inception, Counter Strike conducted over 35,000 retail visits.
In 2019, the inspections found 551 retailers who sold vaping products to undercover volunteers. This number represents a significant increase from the previous two years. TEU blames the rise on the perceived safety of vapes, which is making clerks more likely to sell them as opposed to cigarettes.
The program not only educates but also empowers teens to help protect other youth from the illegal sale of vaping pods. One such volunteer, known only as Emilio, is featured in a video on the Counter Strike website. The teen said he believed vendors deserved to be “busted” for committing an illegal act of selling to minors. For the young man, the operation is personal. “My grandfather has cancer because he smoked tobacco at an early age. He smoked it for most of his life. It starts at a young age, and it’s like a drug, and you get addicted,” he added.
Watch Emilio as he goes undercover:
While another volunteer, known as Ronnie, said he’s taking part in this program to prevent other teens from trying tobacco and getting addicted. In his feature video, the teen explained the difficulty he found seeing his father struggle with nicotine addiction.
Vaping was initially marketed as a smoking-cessation option but became increasingly popular with minors. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, there have been 2,758 vaping-related hospitalizations and 64 deaths across the United States, with 22 cases of sickness in the state of Arizona alone.
However, despite these findings, a study conducted by Harmony Healthcare IT in November of 2019 found that 77 percent of the young people questioned believed vaping to be safe. And nearly half of the respondents stated they were not concerned about the recent illnesses and deaths attributed to vaping—with as many as a third of respondents claiming they would continue vaping even if someone they knew got sick from it.
Worryingly, according to a CDC nationwide report, the number of teenagers who have tried vaping products rose by 1.8 million during 2019. “A few years ago, we were making great progress,” investigator at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Erika Mansur explained, per 12 News. “We saw fewer and fewer kids smoking and stores getting better and better not selling to kids. And all of the sudden we’ve got these products and addiction rates through the roof, and stores are selling to kids again.”
Watch Ronnie as he goes undercover:
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