Slatington Borough Council members Monday discussed advertising an ordinance about smoke and vape shops in the borough.

Council members, at a previous meeting, said there are several smoke and vape shops in the borough and they are looking at how to limit them because of the addictive nature of the products.

Slatington Solicitor Lisa Young explained the potential ordinance.

“It is based on research from other municipalities and the treatment they had used, as well as consideration for statistics for the middle and high school students that had increasingly become addicted to the nicotine and chemicals contained in a lot of e-cigarettes,” she said.

The ordinance would limit smoke and vape shops to industrial zones, with a minimum spacing of 1,500 feet from a school, church, library, public park, medical or health care building, child care facility, or a residential district. The ordinance would also impose a minimum of 1,500 feet away from any other smoke or vape shops.

The ordinance would affect any new applications. Current shops would not be affected.

“This is something near and dear to my heart,” Council President Thomas Bartholomew said, “because I went through this with a teenager, and I know firsthand just how disastrous these places are in the education system.”

Council members decided to defer the ordinance to committee because there may be other types of businesses they would like to make similar restrictions on.