DeSantis Vetoes Bill Raising Age To Buy Tobacco, Vaping To 21

WUSF

Published September 9, 2020 at 9:54 PM EDT

Smoking and vaping may be unhealthy and addictive and pose health risk to lungs

Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have raised the state's legal age to buy tobacco, as well as banned some vaping products.

The bill, a priority of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, was passed largely in response to the rise in youth vaping.

It raised the age to buy tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping products, from 18 to 21. It also banned flavored nicotine products used in vape cartridges.

But DeSantis, in a letter to Florida Secretary Laurel Lee, argued that raising the legal age to buy tobacco is redundant since it's already covered under federal law.

DeSantis also argued the ban on flavored vaping products would lead to more people to going back to smoking cigarettes or using black market products.

Advocates for the bill said it was needed because, while smoking is down among young people, vaping has surged.