CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Electronic cigarette maker blu eCigs has announced its support for recent legislation prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.
The purchase or sale of e-cigarettes to people in Indiana and Mississippi under age 18 will be illegal beginning July 1, 2013, as a result of new laws recently passed by the legislatures and signed by the governors of both states, the company said.
On April 1, 2013, Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed into law HB 1225 that makes it illegal for people under age 18 to purchase electronic e-cigarettes in Indiana. Pence's action comes just weeks after Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on March 18 signed similar legislation in Mississippi (HB 613) that also restricts the sale and purchase of e-cigarettes to minors under age 18. The new laws in both states take effect on July 1, 2013.
blu eCigs, a subsidiary of cigarette maker Lorillard Inc., supports the legislation signed into law by both Pence and Bryant.
"blu eCigs strongly supports and advocates for legislation or regulation that prevents the sale or distribution of electronic cigarettes to minors, and the company is pleased that Indiana and Mississippi have adopted legislation to prohibit the sale or distribution of electronic cigarettes to minors under the age of 18," said Jim Raporte, president of Charlotte, N.C.-based blu eCigs.
After Lorillard's acquisition last year of blu eCigs, the e-cigarette company made a commitment to take a leadership role in shaping how this emerging category can be responsibly regulated, it said.
Responsible e-cigarette manufacturers, including blu eCigs, already prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone younger than 18 through strict age-verification and third-party certification procedures on websites or through vendor verification in stores. But the sale of e-cigarettes to minors under the age of 18 is still possible in several states that do not make it illegal for retailers to sell, furnish and distribute e-cigarettes to minors.
blu eCigs offer the look and feel of traditional cigarettes without the tobacco smoke, ash or smell. blu eCigs provides a realistic recreational alternative to smoking--creating a vapor "puff" that evaporates within seconds. Available online and at retailers nationwide, blu eCigs come in disposables or rechargeable packs for regular use, with or without nicotine and in a variety of flavors.
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