(RxWiki News) New e-cigarette regulations include rules to prevent minors from vaping.
With these new regulations, vape shops will be required to see photo ID for customers who appear younger than 27 and only sell to customers who are 18 or older. Additionally, free samples are now prohibited, as well as the use of e-cig vending machines accessible by youth. This new rule goes into effect August 8th, 2016.
E-cigs are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution to produce a vapor the user inhales. The liquid nicotine solutions, which come in various flavors, are often referred to as "e-liquids."
E-cigs are not the only target of these new regulations — hookah tobacco, pipe tobacco and cigars are also included. Although there were previously no federal laws prohibiting the sale of e-cigs, hookah tobacco or cigars to minors, the majority of states already prohibited the sale of these products to minors.
Supporters of this legislation include the American Lung Association, which said on its website they "... will help prevent young people from starting to use tobacco, and help consumers better understand the risks of using these products.”
Opponents of the new regulation believe it will cripple the industry and eliminate a safer alternative for smokers in the United States.
With studies showing conflicting findings, it is difficult to know at this time whether e-cigs act as a gateway to smoking or as an alternative option that prevents smoking.
Either way, the new regulations are not moving forward completely uncontested. NicoPure Labs, an American based e-liquid company, has filed a lawsuit claiming the new regulations violate the US Constitution and place an “unjustified regulatory burden” on compliant e-cig companies.
