08/11/2026
Parents be aware! You cannot stop what you don’t know.
🚨 BACK-TO-SCHOOL ALERT: REDUCED PRICE POINTS 🚨
As I do my Tall Cop scans during this back to school time frame, there is another trend parents, educators, SROs, and prevention professionals need to have on their radar: the falling price of these disposable products.
Take a close look at this photo from one of my scans: 35,000 dose disposables advertised at $18 each—or TWO FOR $30.
That matters.
💰 WHY ARE SOME OF THESE PRODUCTS GETTING SO CHEAP?
One possible explanation is simply too much product chasing customers. Stores and distributors can become overstocked, leading to aggressive discounts, multi-buy promotions, clearance pricing, and competition between brands.
Other factors may include:
An extremely crowded disposable market with brands competing for shelf space.
High-puff-count products competing on price and perceived value.
Frequent introduction of new brands and models, which can make yesterday’s inventory harder to move.
Promotions such as “2 for” pricing that dramatically reduce the cost per device.
Flavors and packaging designed to stand out in an already crowded marketplace.
Older inventory being discounted as retailers make room for newer products.
And from a prevention standpoint, lower prices can reduce one of the barriers to youth access. An $18 product—or $15 each when purchasing two—is very different from a product costing $25, $30, or more.
👀 PARENTS & SCHOOLS: KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
Today’s va**ng devices don’t necessarily resemble past substances. Watch for small brightly colored electronic devices, unusually sweet/fruity odors, charging cords or devices that don’t seem to belong to anything else, empty packaging, and product names or flavors using words such as “ice,” “gummy,” or candy/fruit terminology.
🧠 NI****NE ISN’T HARMLESS FOR KIDS
Ni****ne is highly addictive, and adolescents are particularly vulnerable because their brains are still developing.
Ni****ne dependence and withdrawal can also involve cravings, irritability, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, and feelings of anxiety or depression.
🎒 BACK TO SCHOOL MEANS BACK TO EDUCATION
We cannot assume students don’t know about these products simply because adults haven’t seen them before.
Parents need education.
Teachers need education.
Administrators need education.
SROs need education.
And students need prevention messaging BEFORE the product shows up at school.
Prevention starts with EDUCATION—and education starts with knowing what’s actually on the shelves in our communities.
YOU CAN’T STOP WHAT YOU DONT KNOW
— Tall Cop Says Stop
