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Nearly 20 years ago, a U.S. Federal District judge found that the major cigarette manufacturers violated civil racketeering laws for deliberately defrauding the public.
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California Raises Tobacco Age to 21
June 27, 2016
Tobacco 21 has another victory! This month, California joined Hawaii as the second state to prevent stores from selling tobacco products to people under age 21. This promises to decrease the access teenagers have to tobacco products and reduce the chance for early addiction to these deadly products.
Until now, high school students in California who were 18 years old could purchase tobacco products and easily hand them out to minors. Increasing the minimum age to 21 will help reduce access to tobacco products in CaliforniaÈs high schools.
California Governor Jerry Brown also signed legislation bolstering the stateÈs smoke-free workplaces law by prohibiting smoking in hotels and small businesses, classifying e-cigarettes as tobacco products and requiring all schools to be tobacco-free. Governor Brown did not sign a bill to allow California cities to pass their own local tobacco tax increases, but advocates are hopeful the momentum from these newly enacted laws will carry into the fall for voters to pass a $2-per-pack tobacco tax increase on the November ballot.
At the federal level, the Tobacco to 21 Act has been introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) to increase the sale age for all tobacco products to 21 in every state. Additionally, major U.S. cities like New York City, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland and Kansas City have already passed similar laws.
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