New law in 2020: must be 21+ to buy tobacco and vaping

Amid concerns about the serious lung diseases and deaths associated with teenage vaping, on January 1, 2020 the age to purchase tobacco and vaping products is raised from 18 to 21.

Opinions are mixed about the effectiveness of raising the age, with vaping shop owners predicting that usage will not decline in the 18-21 population but revenues for shops will.

Lawmakers and educators expect that this will reduce the amount of products being sold in schools, as teenage users will no longer be able to get 18 year old classmates to make purchases for them.

Quitting vaping has proved to be just as difficult as quitting cigarettes. The state has established an app to help users quit vaping.

--Diane Hettrick