California research demonstrates online vape retailers circumvent federal and state regulations.
A recent study conducted in San Diego County revealed that a majority of online vape sales were completed without age verification.
The researchers from the University of California–San Diego (UCSD) discovered that a significant number of vape products ordered by San Diego residents did not undergo age verification checks and other necessary protocols.
As part of the study, UCSD researchers asked 16 San Diego County residents to purchase flavored vape products online and have them delivered to their homes.
One of the authors of the study, Eric Leas, who is an assistant professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, emphasized the urgent need for increased oversight and enforcement of regulations pertaining to online tobacco vendors.
Leas highlighted the absence of a robust surveillance system for online retailers, in contrast to the mechanisms already in place for physical stores dealing in tobacco products. The procuring of e-cigarettes online is a rapidly growing segment of the tobacco industry, per Leas.
