City targets teen vaping with a text-to-quit campaign. Council's limits on new vape sellers wait for a hearing

The city's Health Department has started a campaign to help teenagers quit vaping. Philadelphia has the highest youth vaping rate of any major U.S. city, according to CDC survey data, PhillyVoice reported. In 2025, more than 20% of the city's high school students said they had vaped in the past year, and about 3 in 10 had tried it.

The campaign arrives while a separate effort sits at City Hall: a Council bill that would sharply limit where new tobacco and vape sellers can open. It hasn't had a hearing yet.

The campaign

According to PhillyVoice:

• "Don't Get Finessed" is a social media campaign under the city's broader Kick the Vape initiative. Teens can text "KickTheVape" to 88709 for free, confidential support at any hour.
• The Health Department is working with the School District, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's A-Start program and the EX Program, built by Truth Initiative and the Mayo Clinic.
• Under the district's vape-free schools policy, students caught vaping can complete a prevention curriculum instead of being suspended. District medical director Dr. Kendra McDow said "this is not something that is punitive."
• Health Commissioner Palak Raval-Nelson said vaping is as bad as or worse than smoking cigarettes, according to the outlet.
• Adults and teens can also call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, a free state program.

The campaign's own comparisons put the nicotine in some disposable vapes at the equivalent of hundreds of cigarettes, PhillyVoice reported.

What our records add

This follows our Oct. 23 story on the bill.

• The bill. Bill 260851, from Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, creates a new zoning use called "Tobacco Sales." It covers any store selling tobacco, nicotine or vaping products, not just smoke shops. The Inquirer reported that it would bar new sellers within 750 feet of schools, day cares, parks and other nicotine sellers, and that existing stores would not be affected.
• Sponsors. Gilmore Richardson, with co-sponsors Jeffery Young Jr. and Brian O'Neill.
• Status. Referred to the Committee on Rules on Oct. 15 (meeting record). Twelve days later, no hearing has been scheduled. It was not among the 16 zoning bills on the Rules Committee's agenda for today, Oct. 27.
• The timeline she set. Gilmore Richardson told the Inquirer she wants the bill passed by the end of the year. Council's remaining 2026 sessions in our calendar are Oct. 29, Nov. 12, Nov. 19, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10. A bill needs a committee hearing and vote, a first reading, and then a final vote at a later session. That leaves few sessions for a hearing, a committee vote and two readings before the year ends.

Two different tools

The campaign and the bill do different things. The campaign helps teens who already vape. The bill wouldn't close any store. It would only shape where new sellers open over time. The state is also beginning to enforce its own limits on most vape products, PhillyVoice reported. The city and other municipalities have also sued e-cigarette makers, accusing them of marketing to young people, the outlet reported.

What's next

Watch the Rules Committee page for a hearing date on Bill 260851. Zoning hearings are where store owners, parents and health groups can testify. Families looking for help quitting can use the text line above.