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The Missouri legislator would have passed a bill (Senate bill 841) recently that would ban retailers from selling electronic cigarettes to teens. Unfortunately, Governor Jay Nixon vetoed the bill and now, retailers in Missouri aren’t just allowed to sell e-cigs to minors, but may feel validated in doing so.

Meanwhile, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, and Tobacco Free Missouri have all commended Nixon for nixing the bill. It’s like the Twilight Zone had a baby with opposite day and named it anti-smoking campaigning.

The reasoning? The bill would have exempted electronic cigarettes from state-level tobacco regulations moving forward. This reasoning seems dubious at best.

From the bill:

Alternative nicotine products and vapor products shall only be sold to persons eighteen years of age or older, shall be subject to local and state sales tax, but shall not be otherwise taxed or regulated as tobacco products.

Anti-smoking groups have been fighting legislation like this for some time. And while these efforts have resulted in many stalled debates throughout the country, this appears to be the first time a governor actually vetoed an age restrictive e-cig bill which their legislator thought good enough to pass.

Often the argument is made that these bills make exceptions for electronic cigarettes which protect them from harsher regulation. No one seems willing to point out that there has yet to be any proof that harsher regulation is necessary. Nor do they want to accept that future amendments and bills could hammer the industry if regulators deemed it necessary.

More than likely this comes down to something else. These groups are concerned that if age-restrictive bans are in place against electronic cigarette sales, then people won’t likely see the need to push heavier restrictions. Kids can’t have them right? they’ll say. Then why are we bothering adult consumers who should be free to use what they like?

Either way though, this sends a message that letting kids buy e-cigs for the foreseeable future is better than compromising even a little with adults that you believe are wrong.