Hickenlooper Signs Exec Order On Teen Vaping

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has signed an executive order intending to crack down on e-cigarette use by teenagers.

The governor's Friday announcement from Children's Hospital Colorado included a number  of steps, among them a health advisory and new research, that take effect immediately.

"We wanna say with one voice, put down the pods, trash the pens and live a little," Hickenlooper said.

The governor's order directs regulators to increase checks of retailers to make sure they are not selling to underage customers.

A tobacco prevention blueprint also recommends for state legislators to raise the minimum age of purchase from 18 to 21 for tobacco and vaping products, and to consider banning the sale of flavored tobacco and e-cigarette items.

The governor has instructed the state health department to issue a health advisory on e-cigarettes and to investigate the relationship between vaping and other "risky behavior."

The order also bans vaping in state buildings and on state grounds.

According to the state, about 27 percent of high school students use e-cigarettes.

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