Texas lawmakers want to raise the legal age for the sale of tobacco from 18 to 21 by signing Tobacco 21 into law but advocacy groups and the FDA do not believe it will be a deterrent.
"It is not the age at which kids can purchase that is the problem, but the category risk due to the high-level nicotine pod products." FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said.
The proposed law would impose a fine and a Class C misdemeanor. Anyone charged with purchasing nicotine underage who wished to join the military would need to obtain a waiver. The main point of contention is the high level of nicotine not the ability to purchase e-cigarettes under the age of 21.
The most common starting point for teenagers in California was smoking and then vaping according to a study from Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation In addition, a study by the University of Pennsylvania concluded that the age of sale should be determined by the level of nicotine in the products.
People who smoke higher levels of nicotine for longer periods of time will have a harder time once introduced to a step-down program of quitting according to consumer advocate Charlotte Owen of Metrix Minds.
The push to vote no is headed by advocacy groups Matrix Minds and Texas Freedom League.
