Republican Senator Mitch McConnell proposed a bill this week that would raise the minimum vaping age in the United States to 21 years old. This bill comes after a national public outcry because of the health risks that ENDS products pose. A generation of teens is becoming addicted, which McConnell expressed saying: “For some time, I’ve been hearing from the parents who are seeing an unprecedented spike in vaping among their teenage children. In addition, we all know people who started smoking at a young age and who struggled to quit as adults. Unfortunately it’s reaching epidemic levels around the country.”
Surprisingly, the giant when it comes to vaping products, Juul seems to support the initiative. This might be due to the fact that in the past year, Juul’s public image has greatly suffered. Thus, supporting a bill that would raise the legal age to consume ENDS products but that would not outright ban it could potentially be a good strategy for the company. Others are skeptical that the bill will truly be enforced and that retailers will stop selling to those under 21. For now, it is too early to tell.