After legislation passed last week, it is now illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to buy tobacco products.
On Dec. 20, President Donald Trump signed legislation to amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.
This legislation comes on the heels of a nationwide outbreak of mysterious lung-related illnesses that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined stem largely from THC-containing vaping products containing vitamin E acetate.
Before this law took effect, 19 states across the U.S. had already raised the minimum age for the sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21. Kentucky was not one of them, but border states of Illinois, Ohio and Virginia were.
This legislation prohibits the sale of combustible cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes and other vaping devices to anyone under 21.
Some of the local smoke shops in Owensboro said the overnight changes came unexpectedly — both for employees and their young customers.
“That was unexpected, but I’m not surprised,” said a Smoker’s Heaven employee. “I’ve had to ID a few people who were under 21, and they were upset.”
River’s Edge Tobacco Outlet Manager Elizabeth Leary said her store was prepared for the legislation to pass, but that many of her customers weren’t.
“Quite a few of our customers are very upset,” she said. “It’s affected us because the majority of our business is people who walk around downtown — they’re young and, a lot of times, lower income.”
Leary said she and her employees have doubled down on checking IDs since the law took effect. It’s difficult to differentiate between an 18-year-old from a 21-year-old, Leary said, so it’s more important than ever for her customers to bring a valid license or ID card into her store.
“I’m the manager here, so I told my employees, ‘Look, I don’t care how mad it makes the other person — card them,’” she said.
The national nonprofit Tobacco-Free Kids said raising the minimum purchase age from 18 to 21 will decrease the number of underage smokers across the country.
“This will also reduce the likelihood of high school students legally purchasing tobacco products for other students and underage friends,” the nonprofit stated.
Owensboro Public Schools Public Information Officer Jared Revlett said the new law will certainly curb the vaping problem for high schoolers, but it won’t be a one-stop solution.
“Vaping is something that has become a serious concern for our families, our staff and our students,” he said. “Kids are still going to find ways to get their hands on these devices. That’s why Owensboro Public Schools continues to educate our families on the dangers and risks associated with them so that constructive conversations can take place in an attempt to help students make smart decisions about their health.”
Both River’s Edge Tobacco and Smoker’s Heaven agreed this new law will put a dent in sales for smoke shops, gas stations and e-cigarette stores.
But will it actually prevent underage kids from smoking and vaping? Not likely, they said.
“First they attacked cigarettes, then they went after vaping,” Leary said. “They hope this law can nip it in the bud, but it won’t. Kids are going to find a way.”
“There’s no way it won’t affect our sales,” said the Smoker’s Heaven employee. “There are soon-to-be 18-year-olds just itching to get into a vape store to buy products, and now they can’t. But that doesn’t mean they won’t find it somewhere else.”
