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2 <br /> RES-2026-041 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> Resolution in Support of Tobacco 21 to Protect Youth <br /> from Vaping and Nicotine Addiction <br /> WHEREAS, one of every five deaths in North Carolina is associated with cigarette <br /> smoking,' and for each death, 30 more people are sick or live with a disability'; and <br /> WHEREAS, 95% of tobacco users start before the age of 213; and <br /> WHEREAS, as of 2022, 27% of high school students in North Carolina report tobacco <br /> use, with e-cigarette use having significantly increased among youth since 20114; and <br /> WHEREAS, nicotine is harmful to developing brains, and its use during adolescence can <br /> disrupt the formation of brain circuits that control attention, learning, and susceptibility to <br /> addictions; and <br /> WHEREAS, in a 2020 study among North Carolina schools, a high proportion of school <br /> administrator and teacher respondents believed that e-cigarette use among students is <br /> somewhat or very problematic (91%), and that student e-cigarette use is a somewhat or <br /> high priority issue for their school administration (90°/x)6; and <br /> WHEREAS, most North Carolina young people obtain tobacco products, including e- <br /> cigarettes, from retailers, and NC young people who get e-cigarettes from friends <br /> primarily get them from friends who are under 211; and <br /> WHEREAS, in 2019, the United States Congress increased the federal minimum legal <br /> sales age of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21, and while a <br /> majority of states (44 states, as of March 2026) have increased their minimum tobacco <br /> sales age to 21 to match federal law, North Carolina's minimum sales age remains 188; <br /> and <br /> WHEREAS, having the same legal sales age at 21 for alcohol and tobacco products <br /> reduces the burden on retailers; and <br /> WHEREAS, North Carolina is one of only seven states in the country that does not require <br /> tobacco retailers to obtain a license or permit9; and <br /> WHEREAS, the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission is capable <br /> of implementing an efficient and effective tobacco retailer permitting system based on the <br /> system also in place for alcohol retailer permitting; and <br /> WHEREAS, establishing a retailer permitting system AND raising the minimum legal sale <br /> age to 21 will: <br /> • Allow the State to know where tobacco products are being sold <br /> • Improve merchant education efforts <br />