Federal Government Raises Tobacco & Vaping Age

FDA Tobacco Age Regulation – Smoking Age Raised to 21

Not to be the bearer of bad news but the federal government has raised the age restriction on the purchase of tobacco and vape products from 18 to 21. You may be living under a rock if you haven’t heard about the fight against flavored tobacco and vape products as this is nothing new. With the smoking age raised to 21 nationwide, we at SouthSmoke want to bring it to the forefront and help answer any questions you may have. Questions like why, when, how, and so on. Will this affect how you buy your hookah and hookah tobacco products? What kind of impact will this change have on local hookah lounges and stores? Why are they doing this to us?! If you are over 21, worry not, not many changes for you.

What states require you to be 21 to buy tobacco products?

Before the federal government and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21, 19 states had already done so. The remaining states still using the legal age of 18 will be overridden by the new federal law. To easily answer this question, all states must now use the minimum age of 21 to purchase any and all types of tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, vape juice and hookah tobacco.

What are the pros of raising the smoking/vaping age to 21?

The new age requirement to buy tobacco products is a massive public health accomplishment for the White House and the FDA – U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The government has been fighting for a ban on all flavored tobacco but the raise in age requirements could be a bigger step for them. The main reason for the change is to decrease the number of teenagers and young adults who start smoking. Which in turn should reduce smoking caused diseases and deaths. Many think that any tax revenue lost will be made up through lower health care costs in the future.

Why the change to 21 and what are some myths surrounding the need to increase smoking age?

Change in the required legal age to buy tobacco is a result of the teen vaping epidemic. The FDA thinks that tobacco companies are targeting kids and young adults with flavored tobacco to secure future addicts. The FDA center for tobacco products believes that the age change will combat that movement. A theory is that the new law will keep tobacco out of high schools. By raising the minimum age, senior students and those just graduated will not be able to buy for younger, underage classmates anymore.

Will the Tobacco Age Law Affect My Local Hookah Lounge?

Only time will tell. A large part of hookah lounge traffic comes from college aged individuals between 18 and 21 years of age. That’s who this law will affect most as that population loses access to tobacco that they once had. But, the same law also has a provision to allow enlisted soldiers ages 18 to 21 to still be able to purchase tobacco products. Some think this is all a ploy by big tobacco. A PR move with a spin to increase profits in the future by backing a good looking bill with provisions that help their bottom line. Once again, only time will tell.

SouthSmoke.com has changed its policy to conform to this new federal age restriction as well. All who shop at SouthSmoke must be at least 21 years of age to purchase all hookah products. This includes hookah tobacco, charcoal, hookahs and hookah accessories moving forward. “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance” – Alan Watts.