Perhaps the most important law surrounding e-cigarettes is that a person must be 21 years of age or older to purchase and use an e-cigarette or vaporizer. The only exception to this law is that active military personnel can purchase and use e-cigarettes at the age of 18. It is also illegal for an adult to provide e-cigarette products to a minor. So if a minor is discovered with an e-cigarette and is not in the military, they are breaking the law. Respondents were asked about recent exposure to two media advertisements informing the public of the change in the legal age for smoking in English or Spanish and government-mandated warning signs for the minimum age of sale. Prior to the survey, respondents were asked if they were aware of T21 and whether or not they agreed with the statement: “Increased legal sale of tobacco products will reduce youth smoking.” Demographic data was also collected, including age, gender, race or ethnicity, and household income. “The biggest drop in tobacco use is likely to occur among teens ages 15 to 17 — children who cannot legally purchase tobacco products in California but walk in the same social circles as 18-year-olds who may illegally purchase tobacco products for young friends,” said Larry Cohen, executive director of the Oakland Prevention Institute. California and longtime advocate for tobacco control policy. Minimum Age: Indicates whether a minimum age is required by state or territory law before sellers can legally sell e-cigarettes to a person for personal consumption. A federal law signed into law on December 20, 2019, raised the legal retail age for all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, in the United States from 18 to 21. This does not prevent states, territories, places or tribes from enforcing their own additional youth access laws or setting their own minimum legal age of sale above 21.

Vaping is the practice of inhaling an aerosol using an e-cigarette or vaping device. Most vaping aerosols contain nicotine, flavourings and various chemicals. Millions of people currently regularly use vapes and other e-cigarette products. Unfortunately, vaping and e-cigarettes can pose many dangers to consumers. To reduce the number of people using vaping devices, California and other states have changed their respective laws and regulations. Until recently, California was home to some of the largest vaping and e-cigarette companies, including JUUL. However, state lawmakers have not interfered with their plans to crack down on e-cigarette laws. California was the second state in the United States to introduce several new laws and restrictions to prevent the sale and use of e-cigarette devices. Tobacco, e-cigarettes and tobacco-related accessories should be kept out of reach of customers. This means no self-service displays (except in tobacconists, which must always keep cigarettes out of reach) and no vending machines in stores where minors have access. Cigarettes must be sold in their original packaging; It is illegal to sell individual cigarettes. Findings The survey results suggest that the high level of awareness and support for the law may have contributed to reducing illicit tobacco sales to youth under the age of 18 and ensuring broad compliance by retailers with the new law, which prohibits sales to young adults under the age of 21.

One of the latest trends is vaping. For those who haven`t heard of the term, vaping is the practice of inhaling water vapor into the lungs. This is often done using an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette). The e-cigarette has a cartridge filled with a liquid of the user`s choice. The e-cigarette heats the liquid and vaporizes it so that the user can inhale it. Minimum age (years): The minimum legal age – in years – that a person must reach before sellers can legally sell e-cigarettes to the person. On June 9, California becomes the second state to change the smoking age to 21 for tobacco, e-cigarettes and vaping products.* Hawaii was changed to “21” in early 2016. New York, Boston and Kansas City are currently at least “21” and Chicago moves to “21” on July 1. And the FDA issued a 499-page “Deeming Regulation” covering e-cigarettes, vaping products, cigars, hookah tobacco and other products.

To learn more about California, click here, for the FDA, click here. But first, the California law “21”. Like other studies, the California Tobacco Purchase Survey of Adolescents Aged 15 to 16 confirms that T21 is a promising strategy for reducing youth access to tobacco products.5 There has been a significant decrease in illicit tobacco sales to adolescents aged 15 to 16. Prior to Q21, the RVR YTPS had remained unchanged since 2009, suggesting that T21 played a role in the reduction.15 Particularly encouraging is the significant decline in sales at pure tobacco stores from 31.8% to 12.0%. Experts predict California`s new vaping laws and restrictions will have a major impact on the tobacco and vaping industry in the state. The age change alone could significantly reduce e-cigarette use among teens – a population highly prone to vaping. In 2018, 20.8 percent of high school students surveyed said they currently use e-cigarettes. California`s new laws could change things for the future of vaping products. Gov. Jerry Brown signed a comprehensive set of tobacco laws in California on Wednesday, including one that raises the legal age to buy products from 18 to 21 and one that significantly tightens restrictions on e-cigarettes.

California is the second state to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21. A similar law went into effect in Hawaii on Jan. 1. Paul J. Richards / AFP / Getty Images Hide the caption New York was the first state to successfully ban flavored vaping products. Massachusetts followed suit with an even stricter ban — a four-month ban on all sales of marijuana and tobacco vapor products, regardless of taste. Rhode Island, Montana, Washington and Oregon were the next states to adopt temporary restrictions on e-cigarette products. Most of these bans are due to the development of EVALI, a vaping-related lung disease that claimed the lives of 68 people at last count. If a person suspects that a minor is vaping, they should try to talk to the child if they have the right to do so. If this is not the case, they must report it to the parents or guardians of the minor. Hopefully, parents or guardians can solve the problem from there.

EVALI has also led to new regulations at the federal level. In January 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a ban on most vaping products containing flavors other than tobacco and menthol. The ad specifically bans flavors that appeal to children, such as fruit and candy. E-cigarette and vaping companies had 30 days to comply with the policy and stop manufacturing and selling flavoured e-cigarette cartons. These companies must also take appropriate measures to prevent children from accessing e-cigarettes. STAKE Act signs must be placed at each cash register where the customer can see them. All tobacco retailers must display their valid California retail license for cigarettes and tobacco products where the public can view them. For more information about obtaining a California retail license for cigarettes and tobacco products, visit the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration website.

To learn more about California`s tobacco laws, visit Change Lab Solution`s publication here: changelabsolutions.org/publications/tobacco-laws-affecting-california Descriptive statistics and significance tests were performed for CATS online responses to determine changes over time. The household income variable was transcoded into a three-category response.