U.S. authorities are cracking down on the sale of all nicotine products including e-cigarettes to minors.
Until now the FDA has been able to regulate only cigarettes and chewing tobacco but the new law will give it full authority.
Park Jong-hong has the details.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will review and crack down on the entire spectrum of nicotine products.
Based on a newly passed federal regulation, the FDA will ban the sale of e-cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and hookah tobacco to anyone under the age of 18.
This is on top of the existing ban on cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and roll-your-own tobacco products.

"As cigarette smoking among those under 18 has fallen, the use of other nicotine products and especially e-cigarettes has taken a drastic leap. Between 2011 and 2015, the percentage of high school students who smoked e-cigarettes has skyrocketed over 900 percent."

The FDA added that tobacco use is a significant public health threat with smoking being the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.... responsible for 480,000 deaths per year.
Under the regulation, retailers will no longer be allowed to sell any kind of nicotine and tobacco products to people under the age of 18 and all sales to those 26 and under will require a photo ID.
Following a series of public hearings, the regulation is set to be implemented from August 8th.
California also took a major step to curb smoking among the next generation.
Under the law, persons under the age of 21 are prohibited from purchasing tobacco with the exception of active military personnel.
Park Jong-hong, Arirang News.