MONTGOMERY, Ala. (NewsNation) — States have been cracking down on smoking in cars with kids for years, and as of Aug. 1, it is illegal to vape inside vehicles with minors present in Alabama.
Under a first-of-its-kind law, any Alabama driver or passenger who is caught vaping in their vehicle with a child under the age of 14 present is subject to a $100 fine.
State legislators passed the bill banning smoking or vaping inside a vehicle with a minor in May.
It doesn’t matter if the vehicle’s windows are up or down, if someone gets pulled over for a traffic violation and there is a person in the car vaping with a minor present, police will cite them for that, too.
The law not only applies to vaping e-cigarettes but traditional cigarettes as well.
While the legislation is an effort to prevent any negative impacts on a child’s health when it comes to vaping, the measure has received mixed reactions.
Some critics believe the bill is an overreach, while others say every state should follow it. And then there are some people, like Madison County resident Marena Owen, who question how the state is going to enforce it.
“This is important, but I don’t think there is a way to enforce it,” Owen said. “This is just one of those things they like to flash at people to get the misdirected away from things that really need to be taken care of.”
Across the country, nine states — including California and Illinois — have passed laws prohibiting smoking in personal vehicles when children or adolescents are present, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Seven of those states have passed similar legislation since December 2022.
Meanwhile, just last month, the CDC estimated one in 10 American adults regularly vape, which equates to roughly 30 million people.
A report from the American Heart Association also revealed some disheartening news about vaping, saying it poses similar risks as normal cigarettes. That includes second-hand vaping to a lesser degree.