New FDA Rule Requires Retailers to Check ID of Anyone Under 30 Buying Tobacco

A new rule from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require retailers to verify with photo identification the age of anyone under the age of 30 who is trying to buy tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

Previously, this requirement applied to anyone under the age of 27. It is illegal to sell tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to anyone under 21 years of age.
The FDA said it is important for retailers to request and examine photo IDs to verify age from anyone under 30, regardless of appearance. The agency said research has shown that it is difficult for retailers to accurately determine the age of a customer from appearance alone.

The FDA said its final rule, which goes into effect September 30, also restricts tobacco vending machine sales to spaces that are limited to people 21 and older, CNN reports.

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