SAN ANTONIO – A plan to keep vape shops away from San Antonio schools is blowing through the city council.
The Community Health Committee voted unanimously Monday to advance a proposal to forbid tobacco retail shops — including vape shops — from setting up business within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare or institution of higher learning. The idea will now go to the zoning commission for consideration before a vote by the entire city council.
Three of the five committee members were also co-signers on the original council consideration request from Councilman John Courage (D9), who is running for mayor.
As part of his presentation to the committee Monday, Development Services Director Michael Shannon presented a map of an estimated 225 vape shop locations within city limits — 36% of which are within the proposed, 1,000′ buffer zone.
Shannon said city staff only considered stores where vaping — whether nicotine or THC variant — appeared to be the primary business. Similarly, the buffer zone is not expected to apply to other businesses that sell vapes as a smaller portion of their overall business, such as convenience stores.
Existing businesses within the buffer zone would be grandfathered in.
San Antonio-area schools have struggled with an explosion of vaping, which is far easier to hide than the telltale smells of cigarettes or traditional marijuana.
So far this school year, North East ISD has recorded 331 THC vaping incidents and 335 vaping incidents with nicotine or other substances. Northside ISD reported 707 THC vaping incidents, 431 nicotine vaping incidents and 44 CBD vaping incidents.
Beyond the health concerns associated with vaping, the proposal is being driven forward in part by a concern the proximity to schools could be intentional.
“That’s a strategy that some are using to target people young to get them somewhat hooked on vaping, just like they did with smoking,” Shannon said. “So, the idea with this buffer is to keep them away from schools, to try to limit the effectiveness of any type of targeting our young kids.”
San Antonio also prohibits alcohol sales within 300 feet of schools.
The legal age to purchase tobacco products in Texas, which includes vapes, is 21.
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