California to raise smoking age to 21

MARCH 11, 2016
AAP
California to raise smoking age to 21
California’s legislature has voted to raise the legal age for purchasing and using tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21.
It puts the nation’s most populous state on the brink of becoming only the second after Hawaii to bar teenagers from lighting up, dipping or vaping.
Before it can become law, Democratic Governor Jerry Brown must sign the legislation, which has already passed the state assembly. His spokesman said the governor generally does not comment on pending legislation.
Only Hawaii has adopted the higher age limit statewide, although dozens of cities, including New York and San Francisco, have passed similar laws of their own.
“We can prevent countless California youth from becoming addicted to this deadly drug, save billions of dollars in direct health care costs and, most importantly, save lives,” said Democratic Senator Ed Hernandez, who wrote the bill.
The higher age limit, part of a package of anti-tobacco bills, won approval despite intense lobbying from tobacco interests and fierce opposition from many Republicans, who said the state should butt out of people’s personal health decisions, even if they are harmful.
The six bills that passed both houses represented California’s most substantial anti-tobacco effort in nearly two decades, according to the American Cancer Society.
“With California having such a huge population, it’s going to be very impactful nationwide,” said Cathy Callaway, associate director of state and local campaigns for the society.
Advocates noted that the vast majority of smokers start before they are 18, according to data from the US surgeon general. Making it illegal for 18-year-old high school students to buy tobacco for their underage friends will make it more difficult for teens to get the products, they said.