Laws on the federal and state levels often treat vaping like smoking, especially when it comes to indoor air laws. While vaping is not banned in the US, it is increasingly being treated like smoking for legal purposes. This is to protect minors from getting access to vape products, and also to protect non-smokers from second-hand vapors.
In Some States, Indoor Air Laws Closely Follow Smoking Laws
According to the CDC, twenty of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico have passed smoke-free indoor air laws that include e-cigarettes, to protect the indoor air of restaurants, bars and private worksites. This data is current up to September 2024. State and local laws are constantly being updated, even down to the municipality level. For example, states are increasingly defining vaping in the same category as smoking. This is Massachusetts’ definition of smoking: “‘Smoking' or 'smoke', the inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying of a lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, pipe or other tobacco product intended for inhalation in any manner or form, including the use of electronic cigarettes, electronic cigars, electronic pipes or other similar products that rely on vaporization or aerosolization.”
What About Outdoor Vaping Laws?
With respect to indoor air, the treatment of vapes is similar to how smoking is regulated in many locales. Outdoor vaping is allowed, but can be restricted in some spaces near various entrances and exits to buildings. It’s important to review your state and municipality’s laws to stay within restrictions for outdoor vape use.
Some Studies Class Vaping Differently than Smoking
Some studies, such as this one from The New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrated that certain people have had success using vaping as a smoke cessation aid. More research is necessary to learn if people can truly benefit on a wider scale. Long term studies will be able to tell us more about how the body is affected by vaping. In January 2025, the University of Wisconsin was awarded a $5.7 million dollar grant by the National Institutes of Health to study vaping’s long term heart and lung effects. The study’s leaders want to provide public health data that could show that vaping is a viable alternative to smoking, or could have harsher effects on the body. The idea is to conduct a large study to add to our current knowledge base. The study team acknowledges that this one evaluation won’t be a definitive endorsement or condemnation of vaping.
Youth Vaping Restrictions
The main goal with vaping restrictions is to keep minor youth (those under 21) from buying and using vape products. Regulators don’t want kids to have easy access to products that could potentially get them addicted to nicotine. Federal laws (Food and Drug Administration) prohibit sale of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes and e-liquids, to anyone under 21. So, if you’re under 21, it’s important to comply with the law, and if you’re a retailer, you are required to ask for identification to prove the purchaser is 21 or over.
Enjoying Vaping at 21 or Over
While staying within federal and local laws, those age 21 and over can enjoy vaping. Vape eCigs offers the vapes you’re looking for, including Logic, Blu, Juul Pods, and Jinx Zero Vapes. Exceptional taste, performance, and satisfaction is what you’ll experience with our vape products. We offer great prices and discounts, so get everything you want, from starter kits to refills at Vape eCigs today!
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