Public Health Seattle & King County reports 94 percent of retailers turn kids away when it comes to sales of e-cigarette products, which health officials consider to be high considering sales of e-cigarettes and similar vaping products have soared in recent years.
"We've seen a lot of information and a lot of data come out that shows kids are experimenting more than ever," said Fel Pajimula, King County compliance coordinator and inspector, whose job it is to send underage volunteers into smoke shops to try and catch retailers in the act of selling to minors. Pajimula conducts around 1,200 inspections every year.
According to the latest youth health survey, 10 percent of King County youth (eighth, 10th, and 12th graders) use e-cigarettes, which is twice the rate of youth using traditional cigarettes (5 percent).
The Food and Drug Administration announced a major crackdown last month on the vaping industry, particularly on the trendy Juul devices, that appear to be marketed to young people. The FDA considers the use of e-cigs among youth to be at epidemic levels.
It's estimated there are over 7,700 flavors of e-cigarettes, most of which are sweet or candy flavors. And 80 percent of youth ages 12-17 who are current tobacco users started with a flavored product.
Pajimula believes most teens are getting their products from older classmates, particularly 18-year-old seniors. That's another reason, he believes, the smoking age should be increased to 21.
"Whenever we're in these stores, it re-enforces the need for (retailers) to be responsible with the products they're selling," he said.
