By increasing the tobacco age to 21, this new law is expected to substantially restrict youth access to tobacco. Brown must sign, veto or return the bills to the Legislature on Wednesday, May 4, or they automatically become law on Thursday.
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Smokers have to be 21 and older to buy tobacco products in California under a new. It will not apply to military personnel. He predicts a “significant drop” in tobacco use.
Lawmakers and health advocates applauded the move and expect other states to follow California’s lead.
Federal surveys show 90 percent of people who smoke tobacco started before age 21.
Representatives of tobacco organization Altria Group Inc. declined to comment Wednesday, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. did not return calls.
Additionally, electronic cigarettes will now be classified as a tobacco product, which establishes the same legal age restriction.
E-cigarettes are also subject to the new age limit.
“Stigmatizing vapor products, which contain no tobacco and treating them the same as combustible cigarettes opens the door to excessive taxation that will economically penalize smokers looking to make the switch to vaping.”, said Josh Krane, president of the California chapters of the SFATA.
When the law goes into effect, anyone who sells or gives tobacco to people under age 21 could be found guilty of a misdemeanor crime.
According to a 2015 report published by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, some 50.4 per cent of Americans favoured raising the smoking age to 21. Other cities, including New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Kansas City, and Cleveland have all adopted regulations that prohibit the purchase of tobacco before 21.
The push to raise the minimum smoking age in California stalled for months over objections by veterans groups, who argued that people old enough to fight in wars are old enough to smoke.
A staggering 75 per cent of former smokers and 70 per cent of current smokers also agreed that the age should be raised from 18. He knows how addictive smoking can be and hopes a new California law raising the smoking age will discourage young people from taking up the habit.
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Hernandez said there could be some backlash or slightly more illegal underage tobacco use, though he thinks it will deter far more potential users. Like cigarette smoking, e-cigarettes are banned in many public spaces including workplaces, restaurants and movie theaters.
