Legal Blogs

Many New E Cig & E Liquid Laws Proposed in 13 States

New E Cig & E Liquid Related Bills Proposed

Connecticut: Increase  legal age for the purchase and use of tobacco products to 21 (House Bill 5384).
Indiana:  Remove the smoking-ban exemption for certain public places, including tobacco and cigar specialty stores (House Bill 1313)

Increase the state cigarette tax by $2 per pack (House Bill 1320)

Kentucky: Allows minors to sell tobacco products on behalf of an employer (House Bill 125)

Massachusetts:  Impose tax on “electronic smoking liquid” at 40% of the wholesale price and cap the tax on cigars at 50 cents (Senate Bill 171)

Minnesota:   Repeal the June accelerated excise tax payments for sales tax and cigarette/tobacco taxes (House File 138)

Bill that would define vapor products and readjust the statutory cigarette tax rate to match the current $3.04 per pack tax rate (Senate File 45)

Mississippi: Two bills that would increase the minimum legal age to purchase tobacco to 21 (House Bill 87 and House Bill 190)

Missouri: Bill to create a child protection registry that prohibits advertising of certain products such as tobacco and vapor products through electronic messaging to registered underage persons (House Bill 286)

Nebraska:  Increase the legal age to purchase and use tobacco, vapor products and alternative nicotine products from 18 to 21 years of age (Legislative Bill 73)

New York:   Make the restrictions on smoking in public areas applicable to electronic cigarettes (Senate Bill 729)

Increase the age to purchase tobacco products from 18 years old to 21 years old (Assembly Bill 273)

2 bills that would prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products (except for pipe tobacco and hand made cigars) but exempt the flavors of tobacco, menthol, mint or wintergreen and does not apply to an age-restricted retail tobacco business (Assembly Bill 277 and Senate Bill 758)

2 bills that would tax electronic cigarette cartridges (defined as a replaceable cartridge) as tobacco products (Assembly Bill 1138 and Senate Bill 1089)

Prohibit the sale of any quantity of electronic liquid used to refill an electronic cigarette or cartridge. It defines “electronic liquid” as any liquid composed of nicotine and other chemicals that is sold for use in electronic cigarettes (Assembly Bill 325)

Restrictions on smoking in public places would be applicable to electronic cigarettes (retail electronic-cigarette stores would be exempt) (Assembly Bill 516)

Increase the purchase age for tobacco products and electronic cigarettes to 21 and prohibit the vaporization of nicotine within electronic cigarettes in certain areas (Assembly Bill 749)

Companies selling tobacco products over the internet must first send a form to individuals to sign stating such individual is 18 years old (Assembly Bill 1117)

Texas:  Increase the legal purchase age for cigarettes, electronic cigarettesand tobacco products from 18 years of age to 21 years of age (House Bill 628)

Virginia:  Bill would assess a vapor product at 5 cents per fluid milliliter of consumable vapor products and 10% of the retailers sales price of nonconsumable vapor products and devices, including e-cigarettes, e-cigars and similar devices (House Bill 2056)

Any locality may adopt ordinances designating nonsmoking areas within outdoor public spaces (Senate Bill 1938)

Washington:  Increase the legal age to purchase tobacco products and vapor products from 18 to 21 years old (House Bill 1054)