WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration or FDA said that the federal minimum age to buy tobacco products has been raised to 21 years from 18 year previously.
The new minimum age applies to all tobacco products, including traditional products such as cigarettes and cigars, as well as e-cigarettes.
The change in the age limit comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation last week 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. When initially signed into law, it was not clear when the minimum age change would take effect.
'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,' the FDA said on its website.
The agency added it will provide additional details on this issue as they become available.
The FDA noted that the laws are designed to make regulated tobacco products less accessible and less attractive to youth. Every day, nearly 2,500 kids smoke their first cigarette and more than 400 kids become daily smokers.
Raising the age limit is part of the U.S. government's measures to combat what is now called a health epidemic among the youth.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a non-profit advocacy organization, noted that nineteen states, along with Washington D.C., have raised the minimum age on tobacco products to 21.
According to the results of a new study released recently, the use of e-cigarettes among high school students increased on an alarmingly high rate in 2019 compared to just a year ago, with rates doubling in the past two years.
The annual report, Monitoring the Future, from the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, found that while prescription opioid misuse, tobacco cigarette smoking and alcohol use have declined among teens, the use of e-cigarettes continues to climb.
Vaping too poses a major threat to the health of thousands of people in the U.S., mainly the youth. The recent outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries has raised concern about vaping products.
As of December 17, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC has confirmed 54 deaths and 2,506 cases of lung injury related to vaping.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX