Congress Considers Increasing Age to Buy Tobacco
Next month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will introduce a bill to increase the legal age to purchase tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21.
“For some time, I’ve been hearing from the parents who are seeing an unprecedented spike in vaping among their teenage children,” said McConnell on Thursday. “In addition, we all know people who started smoking at a young age and who struggled to quit as adults.”
The bill will improve public health and pull Kentucky away from the “tobacco culture” on which it was “so dependent, for so long,” added McConnell.
The proposal, which includes exceptions for young men and women serving in the US military, comes amid what FDA Director Scott Gottlieb has described as an “epidemic” of teenage vaping.
The FDA last September announced a massive ad campaign to prevent middle and high school students from using e-cigarettes and has started cracking down on Juul and other manufacturers whose flashy ads and fruity flavors appeal to kids.
“I hope and expect this legislation to get strong bipartisan support in the Senate,” said McConnell. “As you know, I’m in a particularly good position to enact legislation and this will be a top priority.”
Eleven states have already bumped the legal age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21.
The public officials of CA have lost their minds & their common sense. How can the public who legally vote there allow many of these persons into office? CA used to be a model state with super roadways, buildings, beeches for swimming, & the beautiful vegetation. Now it’s going to hell in a hand and basket.
When despicable lying, cheating mc connell allows the bills sent over from the house for a vote by the senate I will consider backing his bill on smoking. Until he does I would not piss on him if he was on fire. May he burn in hell because he, trump, pence and their minions have turned their government and our country into HELL ON EARTH!!!!☠
So let me get this straight. This country has determined that an 18 year old is mature enough to vote for our national leaders, be given an automatic weapon in a foreign country and determine who to shoot with it, and even be allowed to drive a heavy vehicle at high speed on our highways; but now we are expected to believe that they are not mature enough to decide if it is wise for them to use a tobacco product? Personally, I don’t understand this logic!
I completely agree with you.If they are old enough to go to war, vote, they are old enough to decide to smoke or not.
What an absolute waste of time and money. If kids want to smoke, or use other nicotine products, they will always find a way. Did we learn nothing from prohibition? . It caused more problems than it solved and left the agencies created for enforcement standing with their dicks in their hand when it was repealed.
Now we are still stuck with offshoots of the same rogue agencies looking to self-perpetuate and crack heads just for fun, and we have much more important issues to deal with. .
Mitch, if that’s what your priorities are, just go home.
I completely agree with you.If they are old enough to go to war, vote, they are old enough to decide to smoke or not.So true!
You ignorant twits. If a kid wants to smoke. They will get it. GET IT?