Teen Vaping Ban

Teen vaping is a growing problem across the nation and in an effort to curb the rising amount of underage users, the FDA is pushing a ban on certain products that appeal more to the younger crowd.

National Youth Tobacco Survey

According to a news release last week by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, the National Youth Tobacco Survey showed “. . . more than 3.6 million middle and high school students were current (past 30 day) e-cigarette users in 2018, a dramatic increase of more than 1.5 million students since last year.” They also noted that “The sharp rise in e-cigarette use has resulted in an increase in overall youth tobacco product use, reversing a decline seen in recent years”. What was originally created as a way for tobacco users to quit may actually be making things worse, especially for teens.

Dangers of vaping

Through education and advertisements, the dangers of tobacco products are well-known among adults and youth. E-cigarettes are still new enough that information about the hazards was not available before millions of Americans had already become accustomed to using them. Now the more that is learned of vaping, the more the FDA wants to limit its availability and use among youth. A campaign to teach teens about the dangers of e-cigarettes or vaping states that “[vaping] can contain dangerous chemicals such as: acrolein, a chemical that can cause irreversible lung damage; formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical; and toxic metal particles, like chromium, lead and nickel, which can be inhaled into the lungs.”

Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan

With the dangers of vaping known and the use of E-cigarettes rising among teens, The FDA is pushing back on companies that are contributing to this new crisis for the youth. The FDA sent letters to companies that produce and sell e-cigarettes to determine which companies are marketing their e-cigarettes illegally under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco control Act of 2009 and what the five major manufacturers plan on doing to help prevent teens from accessing and using their vaping products. Additionally, the FDA is restricting many fruity and sweet vaping flavors to stores that only allow adults to access. This would stop these appealing flavors from being marketed in areas where kids frequent including convenience stores. Additionally, the agency is pushing a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars which are used by more than have of youth smokers.

Vaping laws in Utah

While rules regarding e-cigarette manufacturers and vendors are updating, the laws punishing underage smoking remains the same. Teens who are caught smoking or vaping before they reach the age of 19 will likely be fined and ordered to participate in a “court-approved tobacco education program” as stated in section 76-10-105. Teen who are 18 years old may face class C misdemeanor charges. For more information on laws regarding the illegal use or sale of tobacco or vaping products, seek legal counsel from a reputable attorney.