Scratch that last post, looks like the USA is now 21+

December 27, 2019 11 Comments

as the age you must be to purchase tobacco products, effective as of the 20th, according to this page on the FDA's website.  Oddly enough their own press announcements does not currently say anything about this nationwide policy being in effect, let alone how they plan on enforcing and actually regulating this new increase in purchasing age requirement.  

Usually these kinds of things have a grace period that it would take 90-180 days to go into effect but according to that page already linked above; "Note: On December 20, 2019, the President signed legislation to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and raise the federal minimum age of sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years. It is now illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product – including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes – to anyone under 21. FDA will provide additional details on this issue as they become available."

So that's it really, the entire USA requires anyone and everyone to be 21 to purchase tobacco or eLiquid products now. Although still unclear, as the FDA has not done an official announcement, the law is the law and it does look like 18 to 20 year olds are not eligible to buying vaping products.

It has been rumored by Juul, Altria, Philip Morris, and all the other big tobacco players that they supported this law because they believed that it would be the end of further FDA regulation of tobacco and electronic cigarettes. I'm going to press X to doubt that’s true because there is no way they could be so blindly naive, but only time will tell if the government continues to pursue further actions against vaping. 

What also makes this whole thing additionally strange is that there is no law against possession.  According to our local law enforcement and they say its not their job to enforce it, that would fall directly on the FDA. The police surely have better things to do than send 20 year olds into the gas stations and vape stores to buy smokes.

Yet here we are.  If you sell tobacco products of any kind, make sure the age of the people you're selling to is 21+ or in the oddest chance you're being secretly shopped by the FDA you'll be slapped with a fine.  If you're in that 18-20 year range and you can no longer purchase products you, as a fully legal adult, now you know what it's like to have the government step in and be a nanny over your adult choices.  

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