MELBOURNE, Fla.— Because of of continued concerns regarding underage tobacco use, Congress amended the law raising the minimum age to legally purchase tobacco and nicotine products from 18 to 21 years of age.

Known as “Tobacco 21” or “T21,” the amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act became law under President Donald Trump’s signature in late 2019.

With the Tobacco 21 law in place, companies in the vaping space now need to take it upon themselves to support and execute policies to prohibit the sale of vaping products to minors younger than 21.

BIDI^™ Vapor understands its shared responsibility and has promoted policies and marketing efforts to focus strictly on adult smokers 21 and older while avoiding any practice that may resonate with a younger demographic.

“It is crucial for vape companies and manufacturers, especially at this juncture to be more sensitive to social issues regarding underage vape use,” says Niraj Patel, president and CEO of BIDI® Vapor, LLC, Melbourne, Fla. “We must all do our part to protect youth from the dangers of all tobacco use, including ENDS. “

To ensure that only adults 21 and older can gain access to BIDI® Vapor’s products, the company has implemented strict age verification systems and processes on its websites. BIDI® Vapor has taken on the challenge and the responsibility to protect the youth against vaping head-on  by setting a high standard for itself. These efforts include the following:

• An age-gating system for its website that restricts access to its products. Before entering, the customer must input his or her birthdate and year.
• In addition, robust third-party age verification system, AgeChecker.Net, is used to verify the age of all potential BIDIvapor.com customers.
• Calling customers within 24 hours of the purchase to further verify the identity and age of the customer. This makes sure that person holding the account has actually initiated the transaction.
• Requiring the recipient’s signature and government-issued identification card upon delivery of product to ensure that the BIDI® Stick does not fall onto the hands of underaged youth.
• Promoting BIDI™ Vapor products online and publishing contents online responsibly by age-gating and monitoring all social media platforms.
• Holding all its direct retail and wholesale partners accountable in reselling and distributing BIDI™ Vapor’s products through a Retailer Pledge.
• Sending out mystery shoppers to ensure that all direct retail partners of BIDI® Vapor have comprehensive age-verification processes in place.