The Trump administration is expected to sign a new bill into law that would raise the legal age for CBD product purchases to 21 amid growing health concerns.

The House and Senate recently passed a portion of the spending bill that would formally ban the sale of e-cigarettes and tobacco to anyone under the age of 21. Due to the high numbers of young adults who have developed a vaping habit, legislators have faced increasing pressure to do something about what some safety advocates have characterized as an epidemic.

Can You Get Addicted to Vaping?

Consumers have seen numerous news stories about the topic, which highlight the high levels of nicotine in certain products, such as those made by JUUL. JUUL has received harsh criticism for allegedly marketing its products heavily toward the teen market, a segment of the population that has faced addiction rates and developmental issues due to their reliance on nicotine. For this reason, legislators have faced increasing pressure to push up the legal age to vape.

The federal move to ban sales to teens and anyone under 21 is not a new concept. More than 500 towns and cities and 19 states have already done so. Recent federal surveys have shown that problems with vaping addiction are on the uptick as more teenagers are using e-cigs and lung injuries nationwide have been recorded in connection with the habit, according to Bloomberg.

Some teens never ask “can you get addicted to vaping?” before trying e-cigarettes. The high level of nicotine in these products can greatly increase the chances that a user of any age will develop a nicotine addiction. The brain adjusts to receiving a certain level of nicotine after the body has absorbed it, meaning that a user will face withdrawal symptoms if they stop using e cigarettes or other products containing nicotine. The legal age to vape debate has been focused on both addiction and illness issues.

Signs of nicotine addiction include:

• Continuing to vape despite knowing that it’s harmful
• Feeling irritable when you want to vape but can’t do so
• Becoming distracted from other life activities based on the desire to vape

If a person suddenly quits vaping, they might suffer withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, feeling sad, sweating, feeling tired, or difficulty sleeping. The longer a person vapes, or the higher the nicotine level in the product(s) they use, the more difficult it is to kick the habit.

According to a recent study of young people, one in three high school students has used some form of tobacco. This includes vaping pens and flavors as well as cigarettes and cigars.

Originally, the Trump administration stated that it intended to ban flavored vaping products in September, a move that was seen as an effort to curb teen vaping. However, The Hill reports that the administration has backed away from that statement following pressure from anti-regulatory groups and the vaping industry.

A 2017 concept supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requiring reducing nicotine volumes in all tobacco products to nonaddictive levels was later dropped.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.