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Region Six officials sound alarm over student vaping, vow tougher enforcement
(Kaieteur News) – Police, educators, and community leaders in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) met on Wednesday to confront a surge in vaping among school children, pledging tighter enforcement of Guyana’s Tobacco Control Act alongside a renewed push for parental and school-based intervention.
The multi-stakeholder meeting, held in the boardroom of New Amsterdam Secondary School, brought together representatives of law enforcement, faith-based organisations, the Mayor and Town Council, education officials, and parents. Presentations at the session confirmed what many attendees already suspected: vaping has become deeply embedded in youth culture across the region, with students increasingly found carrying e-cigarettes or vaping openly on school grounds.
‘B’ Division Deputy Commander Guy Nurse (third from left), New Amsterdam Mayor, Wainwright McIntosh (first from left), and other prominent figures of New Amsterdam at the meeting.
Deputy Commander ‘B’ Division Guy Nurse, speaking on behalf of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), outlined the health and legal risks of e-cigarette use and said officers would respond promptly to reports of illegal sales to minors or vaping in restricted areas.
Under the Tobacco Control Act, Nurse said, police and other authorised officers can act against anyone vaping in prohibited spaces — including indoor public places, workplaces, public transport, schools, and hospitals. The law also bans selling vape products to anyone under 18, and empowers police, customs officers, and public health inspectors to investigate illegal advertising, conduct inspections, seize evidence, and prosecute offending businesses.
Beyond enforcement, Nurse said the GPF is prepared to partner with schools, communities, and the Ministry of Health on anti-vaping awareness campaigns, and to help intercept illicit vape products entering the market.
Deputy Commander of ‘B’ Division, Guy Nurse (center) who expounded on Guyana’s tobacco laws.
But he acknowledged a critical gap: minors caught vaping face little real consequence. School-level penalties are often dismissed as a “slap on the wrist,” and police cannot exceed their legal authority to fill that void.
“The police can’t work outside the ambit of the law. So, we need to get the education and the sensitisation going, with everyone — parents, the proprietors of the stores, the teachers,” Nurse said.
Attendees floated a range of responses, from increased police checks and in-school sensitisation sessions to greater parental vigilance at home.
Mayor of New Amsterdam Wainwright McIntosh called the sale of vapes and other illegal substances to minors a serious threat to the community’s health, safety, and future, and urged parents, educators, business owners, and law enforcement to treat child protection as a shared responsibility.
“The increasing accessibility of vaping products and illegal substances to minors is deeply troubling. These products can have serious physical, psychological, and social consequences for our youth. The sale of such items to persons under the legal age is not only irresponsible but also a violation of the law and a betrayal of our duty to safeguard the next generation,” McIntosh said.
The mayor singled out local businesses he said have prioritised profit over children’s welfare by selling vapes to minors, calling the practice a form of exploitation and demanding strict compliance with the law.
“I wish to strongly urge all business owners and vendors operating within the Municipality of New Amsterdam to adhere strictly to the laws and regulations governing the sale of tobacco products, vaping devices, and all controlled substances. Profit must never take precedence over the health and safety of our children,” he said.
McIntosh closed by calling on parents and guardians to stay closely engaged in their children’s lives and to educate them directly about the dangers of vaping and substance abuse.
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