The U.S. is raising the minimum age to buy tobacco products and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21 years old. The Senate passed a first legislative package on the budget for the coming year, to which several other projects were attached - such as the change with regard to tobacco and e-cigarettes.
The death of dozens of people after using e-cigarettes has caused great concern in the United States. According to the CDC, more than 50 people have died, bringing the number of people affected to over 2400. No similar increase in lung damage is known to date in Germany or anywhere else in Europe. According to the CDC, 480,000 people die each year from the effects of normal tobacco smoke in the United States.
Trump is concerned about the use of e-cigarettes
The complaints about the use of e-cigarettes still seem to be limited to users in North America. In Germany, the composition of the active ingredients of e-cigarettes is more strictly regulated than in the USA.
US President Donald Trump has expressed concern about the use of e-cigarettes on several occasions in the past few months, especially among young people. At the beginning of November, he had already promised to raise the minimum age for e-cigarettes.
In the meantime, Trump said he was also considering banning unusual flavors for e-cigarettes, which experts say encourage young people to smoke. Recently, however, Trump heard nothing of these plans.
