(The Center Square) – Supporters of tighter regulations on vape shops in North Carolina and a higher age limit for purchasing tobacco vape products, pushed Tuesday for state legislative hearings on companion bills pending in the House and Senate.

Protect Youth From Harms of Vaping & Nicotine, known also as House Bill 430 and Senate Bill 318, are in memory of Solomon “Solly” Wynn. He was a high school student and football player from Wilmington who died in 2021 of complications from vaping, said his stepmother, Charlene Zorn.

“This Thursday would have been Solomon’s 17th birthday,” Zorn said Tuesday at a news conference hosted by Rep. Donnie Loftis, R-Gaston, to rally support for the two bills. “Instead of planning a birthday celebration, I am standing in front of you talking about my son and the problems we have with youth vaping and nicotine in North Carolina.”

Solomon was a healthy, active teenager with no underlying health issues before he started vaping, said while wearing the Wilmington New Hanover High colors.

“We all see how fast the number of vape shops is increasing and how close they are to schools because they are targeting our kids and that’s not right,” Zorn said.

The legislation would require stores to obtain a state permit in order to sell tobacco products and raise the legal age to purchase the products from 18 to 21.

“Younger and younger kids are getting vapes and getting addicted to high doses of nicotine in elementary school,” Zorn said. “A few weeks ago, I was made aware of a friend’s 16-year-old daughter who was in the hospital with major respiratory problems due to vaping.”

With vaping, a battery powered heating device or e-cigarette produces a vapor which is then inhaled by the user.

Students who attended Tuesday’s news conference said school bathrooms have become crowded with students vaping during the school day.

“Trying to use the restrooms throughout the day during class change and even during class time can be nearly impossible,” Macey Morris, a student at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, said Tuesday. “The bathrooms are filled with students vaping who take up stalls and the majority of the space. It has become so normal that some students just avoid the restrooms all together.”

Another student recalled her bus in middle school passing vape shops with bright lights and neon signs that reminded her of a carnival atmosphere.

Distancing minors from vape shops can reduce the number of people who become addicted to vaping, Loftis said.

“Studies have shown that if we can get them not to go into vaping until they are 21, there is a 70-something percent chance they will never start,” the legislator said.