Latest study: After California bans the sale of flavored vaping products, teens can still buy them o

People in California—including minors—can still buy flavored vaping devices online even after the state’s high-profile ban took effect. That is the main finding of a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

On December 21, 2022, California enacted Senate Bill 793, banning the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to people of all ages. Hookah, premium cigars, and loose-leaf tobacco were not covered by the legislation.

One of the main motivations behind the ban was to reduce youth tobacco use—particularly their attraction to e-cigarette flavors such as mango and cream.

Before and after the ban was passed, researchers—posing online as minors under the age of 21—tried to purchase flavored vaping products from 26 websites selling these products in California.

A “purchase attempt” meant that researchers were able to add flavored vaping products to the shopping cart, pass the age-verification system (if any), and enter their credit card information.

Before the ban took effect, researchers had a 52% success rate in their purchase attempts. After the law was implemented, that rate actually increased—to nearly 61%.