The House passed legislation banning the sale of flavored electronic cigarette liquids by a vote of 213-195 on Friday.
The bill, the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act, authored by Democrat Frank Pallone of New Jersey, would not only ban flavors, which members of Congress say attract teenagers to use nicotine, but would also outlaw the online purchase of e-cigarettes.
“Now that we see youth vaping growing in this country, every single day, efforts being made to market specifically to young children, every single day, we must act to try and protect our families and try and protect our children,” Democrat Tom Suozzi of New York said on the House floor Friday.
Although the bill has bipartisan support, some Republicans oppose restrictions on selling flavors, arguing that they would punish adults who vape to quit smoking.
President Trump backed off a plan for restricting flavor sales in November, saying that “prohibition” would push teens and adults to purchase black-market vaping liquids. But he signed legislation increasing the federal legal age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21 in December.
Vape shop owners have protested flavor bans, saying they rely on flavor sales to keep their shops afloat.
Pallone’s bill, if passed in the Senate, would be the most comprehensive legislation meant to steer young people from using tobacco products.
