Health care providers say there’s been a big spike in the number of minors using electronic cigarettes in recent years. The Ingham County Health Department wants to require e-cigarette vendors to obtain a tobacco license and refuse sales to those under 18. Current State talks with Ingham Health Officer Linda Vail about the proposal, which could go before the county commission next week.
Electronic cigarettes have been around barely a decade, but their popularity is exploding. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that in 2014, some2.5 million middle and high school students had tried e-cigarettes. That’s triple the number of teens documented in 2013.
Michigan is one of only two states, plus the District of Columbia, which does not ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. The other state without such a ban is Pennsylvania; though the city of Philadelphia HAS passed its own ordinance banning e-cigarette sales to minors.
The Ingham County Board of Health is proposing a new regulation that would license e-cigarette vendors and forbid them from selling to minors. Current State learns more about the proposal from Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail.
photo: www.Vaping360.com via Flickr