The FDA now regulates e-cigarettes just like it does regular cigarettes. The new rules, which took effect Monday August 8, make it illegal to sell e-cigarettes, cigars or hookah tobacco products to anybody under the age of 18.
The new rules require retailers to now verify a customer’s age via photo ID. The FDA says vendors will first get a warning letter if they’re caught selling to minors. They’ll face fines if it happens a second time.
Experts believe flavored tobacco products in e-cigarettes is one reason teenager use has skyrocketed. The FDA says e-cigarettes can contain nicotine which is addictive.
The earlier the kid experiments with an addictive nicotine containing product the more likely it is that they will progress to regular use of that product,” says Mitch Zeller, Director of the Center for Tobacco Products at the FDA.
One e-cigarette industry group says it supports a national age on the sale of vapor products and maintains the products are safe. The group says science has confirmed vapor products are 95 percent less harmful than combustible cigarettes.
