14
TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
MAY/JUNE 2014
NEWS & TRENDS
MAY/JUNE 2014
Vermont and Utah Reject
Tobacco Purchase Age Hike
Lawmakers say legal adults should have the freedom to smoke.
Both Utah and Vermont recently re-
jected proposals to raise the legal age
to buy tobacco products to 21. In Utah,
where you currently must be 19 to pur-
chase tobacco, several senators said
that they are concerned about the neg-
ative effects of smoking, but couldn’t
support the measure because it would
infringe on the rights of adults to pur-
chase a legal product. “When do you
become an adult?” asked Sen. Todd
Weiler (R-23rd District). “If you raise it
to 21, why not 23? Why not 25? Why
not 50?”
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Stuart Reid (R-
18th District), claimed that his proposal
would have brought the smoking age in
line with the legal age to purchase and
drink alcohol, and he added that the bill
could prevent young people from be-
coming addicted to tobacco because it
delays their access to it. But opponents
argued that there’s no evidence to sup-
port these claims.
In Vermont, the House Human Ser-
vices Committee voted against a simi-
lar proposal to raise the legal age to
purchase tobacco from 18 to 21. State
Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen
spoke out against the idea, noting that
18- to 20-year-olds are legally adults and
should therefore have the freedom to
smoke.
“We all share the goal of reducing our
smoking rate, especially our smoking
rate among young Vermonters,” said
Chen, who went on to assert that the
government must be cautious about
restricting the freedoms of adults by
“compelling or prohibiting behavior.”
The movement to up the minimum
age to legally purchase tobacco prod-
ucts had gained some momentum af-
ter New York City passed an ordinance
to raise the age from 18 to 21 last fall.
Since then, similar measures have
been introduced in Colorado, New Jer-
sey, Massachusetts and Hawaii.
Highlights
Vapor Digest
Makes Industry
Predictions
The Victory/FIN merger will cre-
ate one of the largest independent
e-cigarette companies, according
to the March 2014 release of the
Vapor Digest
Electronic Cigarette
Brand Influence Index (VDEBII). The
2014 VDEBII lists Blu (95.30) as the
“Most Influential E-Cig Brand” in the
disposable-rechargeable e-cig prod-
uct category, followed by LOGIC
(93.00), Mistic (92.40), Victory/FIN
(92.10), NJOY (91.70), Vuse (86.60),
GreenSmoke (83.45), Krave (79.25),
21st Century (77.75), and V2 (77.60).
“
Vapor Digest
believes that the
[Victory/FIN] merger…will set up
an upcoming round of acquisitions
of e-cig industry suppliers by the
larger e-cig brands,” says publisher
Patrick V. Butson. “With both Victory
and Fin now off the market, the in-
fluential e-cig brands will shift their
focus to cost reduction and supply
chain management as the best way
to improve their competitive posi-
tions…[t]herefore, we predict that a
major U.S. e-cig brand will purchase
a large U.S.-based e-liquid manufac-
turer within 90 days.”
Upcoming Industry Events
Vapor World Expo
May 7-8
Rosemont Convention Center
Rosemont, IL
Tobacco Manufacturers Association
Annual Conference
May 19-22
Kingsmill Resort
Richmond, VA
