Less than $500, and definitely

not the $22,000 needed by Sublette

County School District No. 1 to install vapingdetection

devices in the schools, the Pinedale

Town Council verbally agreed at its Jan. 14

meeting to commit funds for a trial device.

A contingent of a dozen educators and

health-care providers spoke to the council,

asking it help address vaping, the use of electronic

nicotine delivery devices that are used

instead of cigarettes.

The problem is they are very small, often

designed to look like a thumb drive for a computer

or a pen and there is less residual smell,

making them hard to detect.

Eric Makelky, principal for Skyline Academy,

brought several of the devices he has

found in the school to show the council members.

He said they’re not like cigarettes. In

his day a person would go in the bathroom to

smoke and the whole school would know. He

said the devices can be tucked into an elbow

and the teacher would think a person is coughing

into their sleeve.

He said he has done research on detection

devices and to outfit all the bathrooms in the

middle school, high school and Skyline Academy

would cost $22,000 and another $400 for

the software.

Mayor Matt Murdock had written the company

and a $1,400 device was committed for a

trial basis. At some point, if it works, the company

expects payment.

The council verbally agreed to commit less

than $500 if the device works and hopefully

generate partnerships to come up with the remaining

necessary funds.

When asked if vaping devices could be

banned in town, Municipal Attorney Ed Wood

said the town could not prohibit them because

the state does not allow towns to exceed state

restrictions.

Read the story on page 3 of today’s

Roundup  for more about the vaping concerns

for children.