The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has mandated more people show photo identification when buying tobacco products, as the health regulator raised the age verification requirement by three years.
As part of a rule finalized by the agency on Thursday, the FDA now requires retailers to verify the age of anyone under 30 when they buy tobacco products, from under 27 previously.
The FDA also said retailers cannot sell tobacco products via vending machine in places where individuals under 21 are present or permitted to enter, from 18 years previously.
The United States has been cracking down on the use of tobacco over the past few years to curb preventable deaths from smoking and other products, as well as stop the use of e-cigarettes by minors.
"Decades of science have shown that keeping tobacco products away from youth is critical to reducing the number of people who ultimately become addicted to these products," said Brian King, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products.
Here are the top political news stories for today.
Join in on more popular conversations.
