Teen Advocate Ellia Targets Under-21 Vaping Access, Pressing Pennsylvania Lawmakers
Updated
Updated · American Lung Association · May 29
Teen Advocate Ellia Targets Under-21 Vaping Access, Pressing Pennsylvania Lawmakers
9 articles · Updated · American Lung Association · May 29
High school advocate Ellia has expanded her anti-vaping campaign from school outreach to meetings with Pennsylvania state representatives, pushing stronger tobacco enforcement for minors.
Compliance checks with the American Lung Association showed her how easily underage teens could still buy vapes and tobacco despite the Tobacco 21 law, with stores often failing to check IDs.
At school, she says vapes and nicotine pouches are especially hard to detect because they produce little smell and can be used almost anywhere, helping fuel all-day nicotine use.
As a statewide Tobacco Resistance Unit ambassador, Ellia now works with other students on weekly advocacy and classroom activities, including games linking vape chemicals to common household products.
Her campaign grew from watching her grandfather suffer smoking-related respiratory disease and a triple bypass, and she says education is the best way to stop teens becoming lifelong nicotine users.
As schools struggle with student vaping, should we target the companies marketing these products to youth instead?
After disposable vapes, what is the next discreet nicotine product targeting a new generation of users?
Act 57 and the Fight Against Youth Vaping in Pennsylvania: Enforcement, Flavors, and the Power of Advocacy
Overview
Pennsylvania's Act 57, enacted in 2025 and fully enforced by spring 2026, marks the state's first major step to regulate the vape market. The law aims to remove unregulated vaping products from store shelves and protect minors from their risks. By creating a structured registry, Act 57 requires vape manufacturers to register with the Attorney General and self-certify their products. This brings more oversight to an industry that previously lacked strict state controls. The new law reflects Pennsylvania's commitment to addressing youth vaping and ensuring safer products are available in the market.