Reporters got few details on the proposed attempt to raise the age for purchasing e-cigarettes, but the president said more information will be coming out next week, according to the Associated Press.
“We have to take care of our kids, most importantly, so we’re going to have an age limit of 21 or so,” said Trump, speaking outside the White House.
Currently, in the United States, the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco or vaping products is 18 under federal law, although one-third of the states have raised the minimum age for sales to 21. Changing the federal law would require Congressional action.
Raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products has the support of the tobacco industry, according to CNBC. Multiple lawmakers have filed federal bills, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Surprisingly, the Trump administration may be backing down from comments made in September over banning flavored e-cigarettes. The administration was expected to release plans this week for removing virtually all flavored e-cigarettes from the market.
However, Friday’s comments suggest the administration may be backing off those plans because of intense pressure from vaping advocates who say flavors help adults stop smoking cigarettes and that removing flavors would force vape shops around the country to close.
“We have a lot of people to look at, including jobs, quite frankly,” Trump said, reports ABC News. “Because, you know, it’s become a pretty big industry.”
Juul stops selling mint-flavored e-cigarettes
Juul has stopped selling its mint-flavored pods shown to be extremely popular among kids who use the company’s products. Previously, the e-cigarette maker stopped selling mango, creme and cucumber flavors, and with stopping the sale of mint pods, this will leave Juul with the tobacco flavor.
The move by Juul came two days after two studies were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that showed over half of the teenagers who vape use Juul e-cigarettes, and the company’s mint pods are the No. 1 flavor favored by high school kids
These results are unacceptable,” K.C. Crosthwaite, CEO of Juul Labs, said in a statement, according to NBC News. “That is why we must reset the vapor category in the U.S. and earn the trust of society by working cooperatively with regulators, Attorneys General, public health officials, and other stakeholders to combat underage use.”
