Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday night vetoed a controversial bill that would have raised the age to buy tobacco to 21 and imposed new regulations on vape shops and e-cigarette manufacturers.
Senate Bill 810 was opposed by vape shop owners and people in the e-cigarette industry but had the backing of some state Republicans, including Attorney General Ashley Moody, who was concerned about the rise in underage vaping.
In his veto letter, DeSantis said he was concerned that the bill banned tobacco-free vaping as an alternative to adults using cigarettes, which he called more dangerous than vaping. He called the part of the bill that would have raised the smoking age to 21 “superfluous given this is already mandated by federal law.”
Vapesourcing Opinion:
There are many ways to protect minors, and education and guidance are even more important. Mandatory prohibition instead makes minors more curious and try it.
