U.S. Raises Legal Age to Buy Cigarettes, Vape Products to 21
In less than a year, the legal age to purchase tobacco, e-cigarette, and vape products in the U.S. will increase to 21.
On Friday, Donald Trump signed a bill into law that, among other things, will prohibit the sale of tobacco to anyone under 21.
According to CNN,
The increased age restriction for tobacco purchases is one of several provisions outside of the spending measures themselves that will be attached to the broader $1.4 trillion spending agreement... Those lawmakers [senators in support of raising the legal tobacco-buying age] have been looking for a way to get the prohibition across the finish line and now they've found one, by attaching it to a must-pass series of bills to avoid a government shutdown."
When will the change go into effect?
ABC News reports that it could take about nine months, as the Food and Drug Administration has 180 days to update its regulations and they will go into effect 90 days after that.
According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, prior to December 2019, 19 states have already raised the minimum age to buy tobacco products to age 21.