LEBANON (TN) – On Tuesday, March 22, a joint effort between the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, Lebanon Police Department, and Mt. Juliet Police Department attempted underage vapor product purchases from numerous businesses in the county. Out of the eighteen businesses with complaints filed against them to law enforcement, eleven sold to an underage person. Participants utilized for this operation were adults that were over 18 years of age, yet under 21 (the legal age to make these purchases).
“This joint effort will hopefully curb the sales to those under the age of 21. Our School Resource Officers are dealing with this issue daily in our high schools, and even the middle schools,” stated Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan. “Since the beginning of this current school year, we have confiscated approximately 250 vapor products from our students and a high percentage of them are buying these from local businesses.”
District Attorney General Jason Lawson added, “I am very appreciative of the work of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Department, the Lebanon Police Department, and the Mt. Juliet Police Department in this joint operation. The most frequent charge on our juvenile docket is underage vaping. Vaping products contain high levels of nicotine which make them extremely addictive. Oftentimes young people do not appreciate the health risks of vaping, and there is a real need to make sure that vaping products do not fall into the hands of minors. Our law enforcement agencies have taken a proactive approach to protecting our kids from these products, and I am grateful to Sheriff Bryan, Chief Justice, and Chief Hambrick for their leadership on this problem.”
The businesses that illegally sold to underage subjects were cited for the misdemeanor and will appear in court on a later date. Below contains the list of businesses that received citations:
- Chum’s 622 N. Cumberland St Lebanon, TN
- Lebanon Discount Tobacco and Beer 617 N. Cumberland St Lebanon, TN
- Diamond Vape & Smoke 514 Pleasant Grove Rd Mt Juliet, TN
- Gladeville Smoke Shop 8702 Stewarts Ferry Pk Mt Juliet, TN
- Marley’s Smoke Shop 1123 N Castle Heights Ave Lebanon, TN
- Geri’s Market 638 Leeville Pk Lebanon, TN
- Sparta Discount 1451 Sparta Pk Lebanon, TN
- Evolve Smoke Shop 1340 W Main St Lebanon, TN
- The Greenhouse TN 337 S Cumberland St, # B Lebanon, TN
- Stop N Shop 725 E Main St Lebanon, TN
- Blu’s Everything Hemp CBD & Delta 8 210 W Gay St Lebanon, TN
These businesses were mailed or hand-delivered compliance letters per DA Jason Lawson. The letters stated that they were in compliance with the law and did not sell to the minor(s).
- MJ Smokes, 195 N Mt Juliet Rd, Mt. Juliet, TN
- 4 Ever E-Cig, 1027 W Main St, Lebanon, TN
- 4 Ever E-Cig, 704 S Cumberland St, Lebanon, TN
- The Vape Place, 617 S Cumberland St, Lebanon, TN
- Hi Five Supply, 6650 Eastgate Blvd, Lebanon, TN
- BP Gas Station, 2300 Nonaville Rd, Mt. Juliet, TN
- Quick Pick Market, 1123 N Castle Heights Ave #C, Lebanon, TN
“I’m grateful that Wilson County’s law enforcement could partner-up to tackle this issue,” stated Mt. Juliet Police Chief James Hambrick. “The problem has been apparent from the number of complaints we have received, and together, we are bringing accountability to the unlawful sales.”
Additionally, Lebanon Police Chief Mike Justice stated, “We appreciate working with our partnering agencies in trying to protect the youth in the community. During our recent compliance checks for the sale of vape products, we identified 4 out of 8 retailers who violated the law. We will continue these checks and will be listing the compliant and non-compliant retailers in future updates.”
