The U.S. government is poised to raise the purchasing age of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes to 21. The new law was part of a massive spending package that was passed by the House of Representatives last week. The bill was approved by a 71-23 vote in the Senate and is expected to be signed by President Donald Trump.
The bill also provides more than $18 million per year in grant funding to help states cover the cost of conducting random inspections to ensure stores are not selling cigarettes to anybody who is under 21.
Public health advocates praised Congress for trying to help reduce the number of young people who smoke but pointed out that raising the age to purchase cigarettes will not solve the problem.
“While raising the age to 21 is a positive step, in this case, the tobacco industry supports it to avoid other policies — like removing flavors from e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes that would have a much greater effect,” Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, an anti-tobacco advocacy group, told the Washington Post.
The government will have until the summer to implement the new law.
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