FDA raises age verification requirement for tobacco sales

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a final rule Friday raising the minimum age for certain tobacco product sales. The new requirements, effective Sept. 30, are in line with a Dec. 2019 legislation that increased the federal minimum age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21, according to a release from the administration.

Under the new rule, retailers must verify the age of any customer under 30 with photo identification when purchasing tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

This is an increase from the previous requirement, which applied to anyone under 27.

Additionally, starting Sept. 30, the sale of tobacco products via vending machines will be barred in facilities where individuals under 21 are allowed. Previously, this restriction applied to facilities where individuals under 18 could enter.

“Today’s rule is another key step toward protecting our nation’s youth from the health risks of tobacco products,” said Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “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.”

The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed into law in Dec. 2019, raised the federal minimum age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21.

The FDA said the latest rule is a continuation of efforts to protect young people from tobacco addiction, noting that over 95% of daily adult smokers began smoking by age 21.