What age restrictions are there on vaping?
It’s understandable that many people have questions about vaping, such as how old do you have to be to vape? Luckily, we’re here to take a closer look at vaping and some of the more common questions, including how old you need to be to vape or buy vaping equipment.
Vaping has become extremely popular in the last decade. From relative obscurity to one of the biggest alternatives to smoking in the world. It’s understandable that for many people new to vaping, there are a lot of questions they need answered.
The process of vaping involves heating a liquid known as e-liquid to the point it turns into vapor. The vapor is then inhaled, much the like the act of smoking. E-liquid is available in various flavors, and you can choose your nicotine strength based on your needs.
When it first hit the mainstream community, vaping was largely self-regulated. It was so new that there wasn’t much if any, legislation in place regarding rules or age requirements. However, for the most part, responsible sellers did a pretty good job of self-regulation the vaping industry. As the popularity of vaping exploded, so to did the regulations imposed by governments around the world. Some are good, some not so good. It depends on your personal opinion, but regulations were put in place.
Enough from me! Let’s jump into how old you have to be to vape!
What’s the Legal Age to Vape?
In this section, we’re going to take a look at some of the most popular vaping areas in the world and what their age restrictions are on vaping.
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What Is The Legal Age To Buy Vapes In The Americas?
There are a variety of different countries which make up the Americas, including the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico, just to name a few. For the purpose of this article, we’re going to look at those three countries, starting with the USA.
Recently, the US Congress passed a tobacco law that set the minimum age to buy any tobacco products, including cigarettes and vaping products, at 21. While this new law also targets traditional tobacco products, the law was passed to address concerns about teen vaping and was an attempt to reduce the number of teenagers getting access to vaporizers.
In most of the major provinces in Canada, the legal vaping age has been set at 19, in line with their other legal age requirements for drinking and smoking.
If you’re planning on traveling to Mexico and vaping, the legal age has been set to 18. However, there have been several lawsuits and legal challenges about the age requirements for vaping and also the legality of vaping altogether. Some of those cases are still pending, and vape shops are still in business.
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What Is The Legal Age To Buy Vapes In Europe?
Vaping laws vary wildly across Europe. However, the European Union has set its legal vaping age to 18. However, some countries, such as Belgium, have a legal age lower than 18, allowing anyone over 16 to smoke or vape, so it pays to check the laws in whatever country you’re in or plan on visiting.
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What Is The Legal Age To Buy Vapes In Asia-Pacific?
Despite most vaping products originating in the Asia-Pacific, vaping has been banned in several countries, including Cambodia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Vaping is legal in China and Australia, but you need to be 18 in Australia to vape, and any e-liquid which contains nicotine has been banned from sale.
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What Is The Legal Age To Buy Vapes In Africa?
The vaping laws vary wildly from country to country in Africa, but most countries have set the legal age to 18. In South Africa, vaping is permitted, but only if you’re vaping nicotine-free e-liquid. It’s best to check the individual laws of whatever African country you plan on visiting.
What are the Side Effects of E-Cigs and Vapes?
While vaping is widely known as a safer alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes and has been used by many long-term smokers to quit smoking, it doesn’t mean that it’s not without some risks.
Below we’ll take a closer look at some of the side effects of e-cigarettes and vaporizers:
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Nicotine is Addictive – Although nicotine is optional in e-liquid, it’s still a hazardous chemical with addictive traits. By vaping e-liquid, which contains nicotine, you could be getting addicted to the chemical.
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Unknown Long-Term Effects – While vaping has been proclaimed by some organizations as a ‘safer alternative’ to smoking, it’s still relatively new, and more long-term studies and time are required before we’ll know how safe or unsafe vaping is.
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Increase In Teenage Smokers – Anti-vaping groups have claimed that vaping could potentially be a gateway to teenager’s smoking. It’s one of the reasons, so many countries have imposed the same age restrictions on both smoking and vaping.
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Second-Hand Vape Effects – Little is known about the potential risks and dangers associated with second-hand vapor from vaping in enclosed spaces.
What’s the Minimum Age to Buy Zero-nicotine Vapes?
From what we can determine, the same age restrictions apply to all e-liquid, regardless of whether or not they contain nicotine. When you look at most of the vaping laws, regardless of the country, they don’t specify that vaping products have to contain nicotine to be considered a vape products. Most simply state that all vaping products, vaping accessories, or e-liquids are considered to be vaping paraphernalia, and the legal age limits still apply regardless of how much nicotine is in the e-liquid or whether or not it’s nicotine free.
What are the Dangers of Adolescent Vaping?
The biggest unknown about vaping is just how safe or unsafe it truly is. Think about how long smoking was promoted as a safe and fun activity before the long-term health risks started to be exposed. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time to gather all the data and make a safe evaluation of the long-term risks associated with vaping.
Another danger with adolescent vaping is that some experts feel that young vapers could quickly become young smokers. We are all well aware of how dangerous smoking traditional cigarettes is and the risks associated with them.
How Old Do You Have to Be to Vape – Conclusion
There you go! Everything you wanted to know about how old you have to be to vape in some of the biggest countries in the world. If you plan on traveling with your vaping equipment or vaping in a foreign country, you must pay close attention to their laws and regulations, as vaping laws can vary wildly from country to country and even within different regions in the same country.
The information in this article in no way or form should be considered legal advice, and we strongly recommend doing your own research into vaping laws.
If you have any questions about vaping or what age you need to be to vape, please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us directly. Our friendly and professional sales team is standing by to assist you!
