Photo ID will be required for buying tobacco under age 30

The Food and Drug Administration announced a final rule on Thursday that requires retailers to verify the age of anyone under 30 to purchase tobacco products, including e-cigarettes .

“Today’s rule is another key step toward protecting our nation’s youth from the health risks of tobacco products,” Center for Tobacco Products Director Brian King said in a press release.

Congress passed legislation in 2019 raising the federal minimum age for tobacco products to 21, up from 18, and since then, retailers have had to verify the age of customers under 27 wishing to purchase tobacco products.

Starting Sept. 30, retailers must verify the age of anyone under 30 with a photo ID , such as a driver’s license.

Also starting next month, retailers will no longer be allowed to sell tobacco via vending machines in facilities that allow people under 21.

More than 95% of adults who smoke daily had their first cigarette before age 21, according to the agency.

“Decades of science have shown that keeping tobacco products away from youth is critical to reducing the number of people who ultimately become addicted to these products and suffer from tobacco-related disease and death,” King said.

As of the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey , about 2.8 million middle school and high school students use tobacco products, mostly e-cigarettes. That’s down from 5.3 million in 2019.

Still, roughly 1 in 10 high schoolers and 1 in 20 middle schoolers reported using e-cigarettes.

The Biden administration has had a troubled history with tobacco control, particularly with its ban on menthol cigarettes proposed in 2021.

Originally, the ban on menthol cigarettes, which are disproportionately smoked by black and Hispanic communities, was supposed to take effect in August 2023. The goal was to reduce youth initiation to smoking, increase the success of smoking cessation, and address race disparities in health outcomes.

The outcry from several black activists, however, eventually pushed the Biden administration to push back decision-making.

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In June, the FDA, along with the Justice Department, announced a new partnership to tackle increasing sales of illegal e-cigarettes.

Nearly 12,000 vaping products were sold in the United States as of January, up by 27% since June 2023, according to the FDA.