McConnell Tobacco 21 Bill – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced in April that raising the minimum purchase age for tobacco to 21 was a top priority. McConnell introduced the bill on May 20. [Update: Introduced in May 2019 as the Tobacco-Free Youth Act. Read more here].
Currently Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Oregon, Maine and Massachusetts have a tobacco age restriction of 21 in place. Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Utah, Washington and Virginia will become 21 in the future with effective dates ranging from later in 2019 through 2021. Age increase bills in Vermont and Maryland passed and have been sent to their respective governors for a signature.
It is the IPCPR’s mission to keep our members updated on any type of legislation that would potentially impact your business. We will continue to monitor the status of each of these bills and advocate appropriately to promote premium cigars.
If you have questions about legislation on the state level, please contact Senior Director of State Affairs Rachel Hall at rachel@ipcpr.org. For more questions regarding tobacco 21 or other legislative concerns, reach out to Joshua Habursky, IPCPR director of federal government affairs at joshua@ipcpr.org or Tori Ellington, IPCPR manager of government programs at tori@ipcpr.org.
This story first appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of Tobacco Business magazine. Members of the tobacco industry are eligible for a complimentary subscription to our magazine. Click here for details.
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