The San Jose Mercury News reports that California is the 2nd state to raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 as of a Thursday state Assembly vote. In the new regulations for e-cigarettes, lawmakers tightened and closed existing loopholes in smoke-free workplace laws and now require all K-12 schools be tobacco-free.
The bill was written and cleared for voting almost a year ago, but pressure from tobacco companies and a packed schedule from the last session delayed the vote until yesterday. The legislation is expected to be signed by Governor Jerry Brown after some minor amendments clear the state Senate.
California will join the Aloha State as the current states raising the smoking age to 21. Previously, counties and cities within California had enacted the 21 and up age requirement.
While e-cigarettes are popular amongst smokers looking to quit, e-cigarettes have also become popular with middle and high school students. In 2013, 4.5% of secondary students used e-cigarettes and that number tripled to 13.4% in 2014.
Classifying e-cigarettes as tobacco products is nothing new, eight other states treat them as tobacco products and Indiana seeks to enact strict regulations on the manufacture, distribution, and sale of e-liquids in the coming months.
One individual interviewed for the article was skeptical that the new laws would decrease consumption among teenagers, stating that the teens would simply get an older person to buy them much in the way they do to try and purchase alcohol.
An opinion from the New York Times (via the Sacramento Bee) notes that tobacco taxes in California are surprisingly low and that the tax revenue would best be used by putting it towards the expansion of the Medi-Cal program (California’s state medical program for disabled/low-income individuals). Either way, policymakers must educate themselves more when it comes to e-cigarette legislation. While the long-term health benefits of e-cigarettes remain a mystery, they have become an effective vehicle for smoking cessation, not a gateway drug to more carcinogenic outlets.
Whatever the state, county, or even federal regulations are; InstantGMP™ VAPE can assist e-liquid manufacturers in making the transition to Good Manufacturing Practices or come into compliance with ISO 9001. Learn more about our software and other solutions. If you’d like to see the system in a live demo, fill out a request and we’ll be in touch!