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SALT LAKE CITY — The full Utah House of Representatives passed a bill Monday that would tighten regulations on e-cigarette products, including measures to ensure the contents of the cigarettes’ liquids do not stray from what is printed on their labels.
In addition to regulating e-cigarette products, HB415 would require a person to obtain a license in order to sell those products and outline criminal penalties for vendors who violate license requirements.
Bill sponsor Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, said current Utah law does not require a license for selling e-cigarette products like it does for tobacco or other cigarette products, so as a result, only clerks, not shops, are being penalized for violating the law and selling to minors.
“So the establishment can continue to sell, and they’ll never be restricted from doing so,” Ray said.
HB415 would give law enforcement “teeth” to address illegal distribution of nicotine products, especially among minors, Ray said.
Additionally, he said current state law does not regulate the content of e-cigarette liquids, so the bill would help counties enforce their manufacturing standards, which are inspected by corresponding health departments.
He said some vendors are even “mixing the liquids in their bath tubs” and studies have shown some Utah shops sell liquids that contain nicotine content that deviates from their labels, so the bill would lay a more solid framework for health departments to refer to.
The House voted 68-5 to pass the bill after little discussion and no debate. It now moves on to the Senate. Email: kmckellar@deseretnews.com
