INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Attorney General unveiled a proposal today that would include electronic cigarettes in Indiana’s statewide smoking ban, among other changes aimed at curbing the use of e-cigs by young people, according to an Indiana Public Media report.
The proposed legislation would make the following changes to Indiana law:
- Include e-cigarettes in Indiana’s statewide smoking ban.
- Tax e-cigarettes similarly to traditional tobacco products.
- Require e-liquid containers be sold in child-resistant packaging.
- Require “vape shops” that sell e-cigarettes to be licensed, which would give the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission more authority to cite businesses for violating existing state law, including selling the products to minors.
“These products can be cheap, easy to get and effectively disguise drug use because ‘vaping’ produces no smoke or smell,” Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said in a statement. “My goal is to get ahead of the curve unlike what happened with traditional tobacco products and implement tools to reduce access to youth before we see more kids addicted to nicotine.”
More teenagers use e-cigarettes than traditional tobacco products, according to the 2014 Monitoring the Future survey released in December.
The FDA in April proposed extending its authority to regulate e-cigarettes similar to other tobacco products, but it has not issued a final ruling.
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