New Jersey has raised the age for buying cigarettes and tobacco products to 21, becoming the firs state to do so. Gov. Chris Christie signed the new law on July 21, 2017 and it will go into effect on Nov. 1, 2017. Hawaii an California are the only other states in the U.S. where you must be 21 to purchase cigarettes and tobacco products.
Under the new law, you will need to be at 21 years of age to buy and sell tobacco and electronic smoking devices. The law takes aim at the increasing number of teenagers in the state of New Jersey who are vaping and smoking e-cigarettes. According to NorthJersey.com, New Jersey already has the third-lowest smoking rate in the U.S. at 13.5 percent. The national average is 17.5 percent.
