HB 1516 expands Indiana’s tobacco and vapor-product age restrictions by making it unlawful for persons under 21 to purchase, receive, or possess e-liquids, nicotine-free electronic cigarettes, and vapor products, and by updating related definitions in the criminal code. The bill also revises existing provisions governing delivery sales, shipping, vending machines, self-service displays, retail signage, and age-restricted retail establishments so that these products are treated consistently with other tobacco-related products under the state’s under-21 framework.
The bill amends multiple sections of the Indiana Code to replace narrower references to tobacco and electronic cigarettes with broader references to “prohibited products,” which include tobacco, e-liquid, electronic cigarettes, and vapor products. It also adds a definition of “vapor product” and updates enforcement provisions, penalties, and defenses for retailers and individuals. The effective date is July 1, 2025.
Impact
HB 1516 would change Indiana law by extending existing tobacco-control rules to cover vapor products and nicotine-free electronic cigarettes, while also harmonizing age-verification, delivery-sale, vending-machine, and retail-display requirements across the affected statutes. It would create or revise infractions for underage possession and purchase, sales or distribution to persons under 21, and retail violations involving self-service displays, coin machines, and age-restricted stores. Civil penalties collected under several sections would continue to be directed to the Richard D. Doyle youth tobacco education and enforcement fund.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed as a public-health and youth-access restriction measure rather than a controversial policy overhaul. Its structure suggests support for stronger age enforcement and tighter retail controls on vapor products. No formal vote history or transcript evidence is available here to show organized opposition or amendment debate.
Contention
The main points of contention likely concern the breadth of the new restrictions and how they affect retailers that sell vapor products, especially small businesses and specialty shops. The bill also raises compliance questions around age verification, the treatment of nicotine-free products, and the expansion of penalties for sales, possession, and retail access by persons under 21. Another possible issue is the inclusion of vapor products in the 85% gross-sales threshold for age-restricted stores, which could affect which establishments may exclude minors entirely.