Maryland Officially Joins Tobacco-21 Club
The state will raise the legal tobacco buying age to 21 starting in October.
May 15, 2019
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – This week, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed a bill that raises the tobacco purchase age to 21, The Hill reports. The law, which goes into effect in October, also includes vaping devices under tobacco products.
“There is no more important job than protecting the health and safety of Marylanders,” Hogan said. Under the law, retailers must post warning signs that tobacco products are only available to those 21 and older, although military personnel 18 and older may purchase tobacco products with a military ID.
Altria and Juul have expressed public support for a higher tobacco buying age. “We cannot fulfill our mission to provide the world’s one billion adult smokers with a true alternative to combustible cigarettes, the No. 1 cause of preventable death in this country, if youth use continues unabated,” said Kevin Burns, CEO of Juul, after Hogan signed the bill. “That is why we are committed to working with lawmakers to enact these effective policies and hope more jurisdictions follow in Maryland’s example.”
Maryland becomes the 13th state to put a version of Tobacco 21 into law. Florida and Arizona are considering similar legislation. On the federal level, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY) and Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) have sponsored a bill that would make 21 the national tobacco buying age. Meanwhile, retailers are enacting their own measures, with Walmart and Walgreens both announcing they will no longer sell tobacco products to customers under 21.
Tobacco
