E-cigarettes aren't made with tobacco, but they vaporize a mixture of flavorings -- and nicotine. Because of the nicotine, e-cigarettes are addictive. But until recently, there were no laws in Florida banning their sale to minors.
State Rep. Frank Artiles sponsored a bill to ban e-cigarette sales to people under the age of 18. He says he was inspired to sponsor the bill after witnessing a 12-year old "vaping" an e-cigarette at an amusement park.
"Because the FDA has not ruled on the e-cigarettes, I thought it'd be a great bill to protect our youth," he says.
The bill received unanimous support in the state Senate and House.
Kelli Thibault owns Smoke This Too, a local tobacco shop in Wilton Manors and Coral Gables. She says that even before the bill, she made a policy prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.
"As a mother first and a business owner second, I wouldn't appreciate it if someone sold my child something mimicking smoking," she explains. "So I don't do it either."
The law also makes possession of an e-cigarette by a minor illegal, and will go into effect July 1.
