Senator Nelson introduces Legislation to protect children from nicotine poisoning

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson

On Thursday, July 10, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D) introduced the “Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014”, which would require that liquid nicotine be sold in child-resistant packaging.

With the explosion in sales of e-cigarettes and other nicotine vapor devices, sales of liquid nicotine products have risen sharply. These products are often sold in colorful bottles and feature logos and flavors that are very attractive to children, such as “Gummi Bear” and “Cotton Candy.” Unfortunately, most of the bottles are not child resistant – and just a small amount of highly concentrated liquid nicotine can cause severe illness or even death to a child.

Senator’s Nelson’s legislation seeks to end these accidental child nicotine poisonings by directing the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to require child resistant packaging for all liquid nicotine products sold directly to the public. 

The legislation currently has 10 cosponsors, and has been referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.