Bill against youth vaping unanimously passes in Philadelphia city council

(WPHL) — A bill targeting youth vaping has unanimously passed in Philadelphia’s city council.

Bill No. 250213, sponsored by Councilmember At-Large Dr. Nina Ahmad, Chair of the Public Health and Human Services Committee, will work to enforce stronger measures against the sale of vaping products to minors and direct resources toward prevention and education.

“This is a decisive step forward in our fight to protect young people from the harms of nicotine addiction,” said Councilmember Nina Ahmad. “This bill provides the City with meaningful tools to crack down on bad actors, imposes stronger penalties, and dedicates funds to educate our youth about the long-term and irreversible health risks of vaping.”

Key provisions of the legislation include:

• Raising the minimum purchase age for electronic smoking devices from 18 to 21, aligning with state and federal law.
• Mandating ID checks and point-of-sale signage to inform and protect consumers.
• Prohibiting out-of-package and self-service sales to limit youth access and prevent tampering.
• Implementing a tiered penalty structure for violators:
  • $500 for a first offense
  • $1,000 for a second offense
  • $2,000 for third and subsequent offenses
• Allocating 50% of revenue from penalties to fund youth vaping prevention and education initiatives, to be administered by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

The bill will take effect 30 days from June 12 and will “reinforce Philadelphia’s commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of its residents, particularly young people and communities disproportionately targeted by the vaping industry.”