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RES-2026- 041 jgC " CW ILOISW <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 disability2 ; 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 201 14 ; 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 % ) 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 21 ' ; 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 />