California Smoking Age Now 21

The governor signed the legislation this week, which has an exemption for military personnel.

May 06, 2016

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – This week, California became the second state to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21 for all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, CNN reports. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the legislation, which exempts military personnel.

California’s law also forbids anyone under 21 from purchasing electronic cigarettes, plus restricts where e-cigs can be used in public spaces. “California took a step backwards today by reclassifying vapor products as tobacco,” the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association said in a statement this week. “Our industry … has always supported sensible legislation, such as prohibitions on selling to minors, reasonable licensing requirements and child-resistant packaging.”

In January, Hawaii raised its statewide smoking age to 21. Across the United States, more than 100 cities have increased the legal tobacco buying age above 18, including Boston, New York and San Francisco.

Read more about increased age limits for tobacco purchases in the March issue of NACS Magazine.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement