COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio lawmakers have moved a step closer to banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors.
A bill, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard), expands an existing prohibition that bars people under 18 from purchasing or distributing nicotine products to include alternative nicotine products, including e-cigarettes.
Merchants would be allowed to check ID’s to validate the age of the would-be customer, Kunze’s office said.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
The proposal has its critics. Some say it punishes e-cigarettes, which they claim are healthy alternatives to tobacco. Others claim the bill is a disguised effort to skirt taxes levied on tobacco products.
Kunze says U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data indicate that the percentage of middle and high school students in the United States who have tried e-cigarettes more than doubled between 2011 and 2012.
It also found that 76 percent of young people who currently use e-cigarettes also smoked regular cigarettes, leading some experts to believe e-cigarettes may lead to smoking real cigarettes, she said.