President Donald Trump signed legislation in December 2019 to amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by raising the federal minimum age of sale for tobacco products from 18 to 21. “Tobacco products,” in this case, includes both smoked and smokeless tobacco, but also nicotine vaping products.

Protecting young people’s health was the rationale. But will raising the age of sale actually reduce harms for 18 to 20-year-olds? First we must question the inclusion of vaping products in this legislation, when the best available evidence indicates that vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking. [...]