Voices in Policy - AB 762
What is the Youth Advisory Board?:
The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is a coalition of students from around Sacramento working in collaboration with SacBreathe to spread awareness and take action on environmental and public health issues, including tobacco, cigarette, and vape use. We believe AB 762 is an important step in reducing the number of dangerous and harmful products available to young people, especially disposable vapes. Vapes have been shown to target young people disproportionately and have vast negative impacts that stem far beyond the individual. When youth are included in the development of policies related to their education, health, and communities, it provides policymakers with an opportunity to include the direct experience of young people in those decisions. Thus, youth should be included in the decision-making regarding issues that impact them now and in the future.
What is AB 762?:
Assembly Bill 762, authored by Asm. Irwin & Asm. Wilson would prohibit the manufacturing or importing for sale of a new or refurbished disposable, battery-embedded vapor inhalation device containing nicotine (beginning January 1, 2027).[1] And would prohibit a person from selling, distributing, or offering for sale a new or refurbished disposable, battery-embedded vapor inhalation device containing nicotine within the state (beginning January 1, 2028).
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among students reporting current e-cigarette use, 25.2% reported using e-cigarettes daily, with disposable e-cigarettes being the most commonly reported device type used at 60.7%.[3] The prohibition of such disposal vapes would have an immense benefit on the futures of youth in the area, as well as our environment.
How Does AB 762 Connect to Youth Voice?
But why does AB 762 matter to our community of youth and students in the Sacramento area? This is because this bill addresses key health and environmental issues caused by vaping that continue to plague our state and city alike. Recent surveys reveal that nearly 1 in 5 Californian high schoolers have used vapes, and thousands of youth across the state currently use e-cigarettes.[4] E-cigarettes have severe impacts on the mental and physical well-being of youth, especially at a time when crucial parts of the brain are still undergoing development.
Image 2 (The diagram above showing the detrimental physical impacts of vaping)[5]
Countless studies by the National Institute of Health stress that increased vape and nicotine product use is directly linked to increased rates of severe depression and even long-term anxiety, as well as severe organ damage from the heart to the lungs. [6][2]
E-cigarette use doesn’t just damage the user, but through the combustion of nicotine and other harmful substances, has a ripple effect on the nearby people and environment, linked to the release of aerosols, carbon monoxide, and other air pollutants.[7] Such exposure is not only harmful for humans, but also for a vast majority of animals! Moreover, disposable vapes never truly disappear; rather, they are rarely effectively disposed of, leading to toxic chemical leaks and microplastic pollution[2]. Such chemical and plastic waste spreads from landfills to waterways, eventually becoming a permanent toxin in our ecosystem. With the dangerous consequences of both e-cigarette use and disposal, AB 762 must be given support to protect our community in the long term.
Image 3 (Negative Environmental Impacts of E-cigarettes)[8]
Early in January of 2026, our Youth Advisory Board wrote a letter to Assemblymember Marc Berman in support of AB 762. Assemblymember Berman is chair of the Business and Professions Committee, and our letter asked him to move the bill forward in the legislative process. Through this, we learned how to translate our passion into action and make our voices heard. Instead of individual letters, we chose to write it under YAB to present a unified voice. Overall, it was empowering to know our voices contributed to the legislative process, and we aim to do so again in the future.
To show further support for not only this bill but to push lawmakers to pass additional bills that work to protect our air, our environment, and our people, it is essential that youth rise up to create the movement they wish to see. The voices and stories of students are what have helped push bills like AB 762 further along, and all it takes is one action, one decision to influence positive change. Remaining informed and educated about current bills is one simple step that can be taken to stay involved in the community, through articles, the news, and even trustworthy social media pages. Expressing your voice as a youth advocate is another essential way to have your experiences and stories heard, through social media-based advocacy and also involvement in local youth environmental coalitions, such as SacBreathe’s Youth Advisory Board!
Regardless of the method, youth involvement in the state government truly causes change, ensuring that future generations are represented by lawmakers by staying up to date on news and assembly bills
Author: YAB Students: Alex M, Nicholas M, Nandika T, Olivia T
[1] https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab762
[2] https://truthinitiative.org/sites/default/files/media/files/2021/04/E-Cigarette-Waste-Report-FINAL-042821.pdf
[3] https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/health-effects.html
[4] Results of the 2023 California Youth Tobacco Survey
[5] https://halodetect.com/blog/teen-vaping-statistics/
[6] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9195082/#sec9
[7] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4565991/
[8] https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/harmful-effects-tobacco/toxic-plastic-problem-e-cigarette-waste-and-environment
