(LEX 18) — Anti-vaping advocates urge Kentucky lawmakers to ensure that retail stores are following the Tobacco 21 Law and are not selling nicotine products to people under 21 years old.
"We need to ensure that these products, which have flashy colors, fun flavors, sometimes games even in the shape of cartoon characters - which are clearly targeted towards youth - are not making it into their hands," said Griffin Nemeth, a Youth Advisory Board Coordinator for #iCANendthetrend, at the Interim Licensing Committee on Tuesday.
Nemeth told lawmakers that Kentucky is one of 10 states that do not have a 21-tobacco enforcement structure. That means businesses that sell vapes and other nicotine products do not need to obtain a special license to do so.
Advocates want that to change. They encourage lawmakers to take three steps:
- License all retailers that sell nicotine products.
- Require annual compliance checks.
- Escalate penalties if Tobacco 21 Laws are not followed.
"We're asking that legislation be passed to effectively enforce the law against underage sales and to ensure that the effects of industry manipulation of our youth are mitigated," said Nemeth.
"This move is not anti-business," he added. "The only businesses who will be negatively impacted by retail licensure are those acting criminally and selling unauthorized products to underaged youth."
Advocates point out that this is unfortunately a problem in Kentucky. They say research shows that 43.1% of 15-20 year old e-cigarette users were sold these products from a retail store, despite federal and state laws prohibiting these sales.
