The city of Oconto Falls tightened its tobacco products ordinance in response to reports of electronic cigarettes at local schools this winter and issued its first citation Thursday.
The City Council on March 10 adopted ordinances that prohibit minors from possessing e-cigarettes and related paraphernalia on school grounds and misrepresenting their age in an attempt to purchase the items locally.
Those who violate the ordinance are subject to a $100 fine. The fine increases to $200 for a second offense within 12 months.
According to Police Chief Brad Olson, the Oconto Falls Police Department developed the ordinance after making five contacts to address e-cigarette complaints at the middle school and high school within a two-week period in January.
“Our department feels that this ordinance is important to keep the use of tobacco products out of the hands of our school age kids,” Olson wrote in an e-mail to the Times Herald last week.
He said because some of the paraphernalia and liquids used with the e-cigarettes do not contain nicotine, they are available for purchase by anyone of any age.
“Our officers are unable to tell the nicotine containing liquids from the non-nicotine liquids if the labels are altered or missing,” he said. “The only way to tell would be send it to a lab for testing, which is a terrible waste of resources.”
According to Olson, the change in the ordinance will cover all paraphernalia and liquids, with or without nicotine, without any gray areas.
Police on Thursday issued a citation to a 16-year-old male student at Oconto Falls High School after school officials notified authorities the youth was carrying an e-cigarette.
One new city ordinance prohibits minors from intentionally misrepresenting their age to buy any form of cigarette, cigar, tobacco or tobacco paraphernalia of any kind, including cigarette paper, wrappers, electronic cigarettes, e-liquid (with or without nicotine), e-cartridges or batteries or look-alike cigarette paraphernalia, hookahs or similar paraphernalia.
A second ordinance prohibits minors on school premises from possessing the above products.
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