Missouri Legislators Restrict E-Cigarettes
Missouri state lawmakers have passed a bill that will restrict electronic cigarettes from being sold to minors, adding the lower Midwestern state to a growing list of states that restrict the use and purchase of the largely unregulated devices.
According to the Missouri House of Representative and Missouri Senate, the bill is designed to keep electronic cigarettes out of the hands of teenagers under the age of 18. This reflects an increasingly belief among legislators that while electronic cigarettes may not be directly harmful to smokers, the devices pose a significant risk to minors who may find the flash designs of e-cigarette devices, not to mention the large variety of liquid nicotine "vapor" flavors, attractive.
The bill passes following the release of a congressional report earlier this week that detailed how the top eight electronic cigarette companies have been transparently targeting youths in their advertising and festival campaigns.
Experts expressed their own concerns about the threat that electronic cigarettes pose to teens after a study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics that detailed how e-cigarettes serve as a "gateway drug" for tobacco, introducing teens to a strong nicotine habit that is later served by harmful tobacco products.
Still, even if some lawmakers acknowledge that "vaping" can be harmful to children, it is hard to find reason to restrict the devices' sale to responsible adults. According to both Missouri bills, while the products cannot be sold to minors, they will not be taxed like traditional tobacco products are.
According to the Associated Press, the House voted 129-19 to send its bill to the senate, where senators voted 27-4 in favor of their version of the bill. Both chambers still have to agree upon a finalized version of the bill to pass by the middle of next month.
Apr 17, 2014 05:47 PM EDT
