FORT MYERS, Fla. — President Trump signed a spending bill into law on Friday that includes raising the legal smoking age to twenty-one.
This encompasses all products containing tobacco, such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and vapes.
Fox spoke with a local vape shop about how this change will affect business.
Nicotine, the addictive chemical found in tobacco and most vape products has proven to cause long term health problems.
General manager of Into the Mist Vapes says, that this law will help to reduce underage smoking.
She says most children get tobacco products from older friends.
“It puts a bigger age gap between them and school kids, so they are less likely to get their hands on them, ” said Tanya Nesbitt.
Many lawmakers are pushing for more to be done to stop the underaged vaping epidemic. Flavored liquids often entice children to try harmful products.
“Cigarettes, alcohol it doesn’t matter what the flavor is, they know they’re not supposed to do it, ” said Nesbitt.
The alarming number of vape related illnesses has been connected to the vitamin-E-acetate in black-market cartridges.
“The risks of black-market cartridges are going to go up because they can’t get it from here, ” said Tanya Nesbitt.
Young or old, this manager says the store policy remains the same. She will be on the lookout for buyers aged 21 or younger
“We check every I, and if there’s any situation that I think they may be buying underage then I do ask them to leave, ” said Nesbitt.
The bill, signed into law on December 20, 2019, will take effect in 2020.
