Rio Grande City is taking action and cutting off new permits for vape shops near schools.

"For the past couple of years, we've been noticing more vape shops coming up," Rio Grande City Planning Director Antonio Cantu said.

A vape shop on U.S. Highway 83 is just around the corner from Hinojosa Elementary School. City leaders noticed more and more vape shops popping up around town.

On Thursday, city commissioners voted to ban vape products from being sold within 1,000 feet of schools. That includes more than just vape shops.

"You have grocery stores, you have convenience stores," Cantu said. "Or gas stations that may sell these products."

Taiz Garcia is a mom of a one-year-old. She is a former teacher and has seen students with vape pens.

"It's a reality. Now there are vapes that look like pens and young kids would bring them to school," Garcia said.

Current business who sell vape pens and products near schools are exempt from the ordinance. Any new business that wants to open or expand their sales floor near a school would get their permit denied.

"We don't want students and youth to look at this product," Cantu said.

The city says they've counted at least 15 stores that sell vaping products. Stores that sell cigarettes, for example, are exempt from the ordinance.

The new rule officially takes effect at the end of November.

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