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Florida’s Department of Health says the number of under age children using e-cigarettes doubled in Florida from 2011 to 2012. Lawmakers want to make the sales of the fake cigarettes to minors go up in smoke.

Jim Hampton’s store in Tallahassee is one of thousands of outlets in the state that sell electronic cigarettes.

“Business is good,” says Hampton, the store owner of ‘Just Vapin’.’

Hampton proudly sells the device that he says has helped dozens of customers quit tobacco by still allowing them to inhale nicotine.

With just a few clicks, the e-cigarette can dispense flavored nicotine vapors. It’s something Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto wants to make sure isn’t sold to minors, just like a traditional cigarette.

“Well the trend is that youth are using them in larger numbers and, as a mom, I want to do all I can to protect kids from getting addicted to nicotine at such a young age,” said Benacquisto.

There has yet to be federal regulation on the e-cigs because they don’t contain tobacco. Minors can purchase the cartridges and flavored nicotine juices as they please. Hampton decided not to sell to minors at his store, but he  believes they’re better for kids than real tobacco.

“If my child was under 18 and smoked cigarettes, I would certainly purchase them for him,” he said.

While Hampton supports the bill and regulating the marketplace, his main worry is opening the door to banning e-cigs in public. Benacquisto didn’t go so far as to rule it out.

“If another Senator wants to file another bill at another time, that’s their prerogative, but my desire and the desire of this bill is to keep them from being purchased by minors,” she said.

The bill has passed its first three committees unanimously. The next stop is Senate Appropriations.

If passed, the bill would make selling to minors a second degree misdemeanor, and would be bumped up to a first degree misdemeanor if there are multiple violations in the same year.