North Carolina mother fighting against teen vaping with new bill
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WNCN) — Charlene Zorn describes her stepson Solomon 'Solly' Wynn as a happy kid. Growing up in Wilmington, he was always active.
'He loved to play sports, go to the gym with his dad, ride his bike, eat pizza and hamburgers. He was on his freshman football team. He had all the normal ambitions that a kid had,' said Zorn.
But in 2023, Zorn's life changed.
'He got sick. We thought it was a cold or respiratory infection,' said Zorn. 'About six weeks later, they sent him to the Nunnelee Pediatric Clinic, and he immediately diagnosed him with popcorn lungs.'
She said the doctor told her it was due to vaping.
On June 13, Zorn said Solly had just gotten off the phone with his dad, Al.
'Al got home from work 20 minutes later and found Solomon unconscious on the floor, non-responsive, had to call 911,' said Zorn. 'By the time we got to the hospital there was no signs of any brain activity. He was on a ventilator. His heart was beating—but only because the ventilator was doing it for him.'
Not long after, Solly passed away.
'I don't want anyone to feel like my family felt,' Zorn said. 'Al, Solomon's biological mother and I had to stand there and listen to doctors tell us that our child was dead, that a machine was keeping him alive. We had to stand there and with some of our other children as we took him off life support.'
Solly was 15 years old.
Federal law, which retailers in North Carolina must follow, sets the minimum age to purchase tobacco products at 21, but state law still lists 18.
That's why Charlene and others are advocating Solly's Law, a bill currently working its way through the state legislature.It's set to do two things, require a tobacco retail sales permit for businesses and align with federal law about the age to purchase.
'We know that children, virtually everyone who starts using a vapor product or an ignited cigarette, starts before the age of 21 and we realize we've got an epidemic in North Carolina,' said Peg O'Connell with the North Carolina Alliance for Health. She points to a 2022 survey from the organization.
It notes one in eight high school students in North Carolina currently use a tobacco product.That's about three students in every classroom.
Jake Petersen, a school resource officer at Eastern Alamance High School, told CBS 17 he often sees vapes on his campus.
'Kids congregating in the bathrooms, they're passing around the vapes right there in the open and they're smoking between classes and taking a break during classes to go smoke,' said Petersen.
Some Wake County students say they see vaping too.
Amruta Issac and Uma Kuncha work with the Poe Center for Health Education to teach their peers about the effects of vaping.
'We don't really see it very often in our school, but when I do go out in public spaces like malls or concerts with my friends, I do see it quite often,' said Issac.
Kuncha says, unlike Issac, she often sees vapes at her school.
'We see vaping, and vapes, a pretty decent amount whether it's in the hands of my classmates and people's personal belongings or even in the halls, but overall, I do notice not as much out in the open. I would say most students disregard the vape free policy,' said Kuncha.
As for Solly's Law, Zorn is said she hopes to see more support for the bill.
'I don't want anyone to go through what we went through. It's completely preventable,' she said. 'It shouldn't be happening, and we need every lawmaker in the state to get behind the bill. It needs to not be a political issue. It needs to be about saving our children's lives.'
There has been no movement of Solly's Law in the state legislature since March. Chances that lawmakers will take action on it in this session are slim, but there is still a chance it could be added to the state budget as it does include an appropriation.
Solly's stepmother says she and other advocates of the bill will keep fighting until more is done to prevent teenagers from vaping.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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