Illinois raised its age requirement for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21 Sunday when new Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that the state’s former Republican governor vetoed.
“We’re dealing with an old problem in a new form,” Pritzker said according to CNN. “And while all our residents have the right to make this choice for themselves, we need to be realistic about what that choice means for our young people.”
The law raises the legal age for purchasing cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other nicotine and tobacco products but also ends penalties for underage possession, reported Chicago Tribune. (RELATED: Man Charged For Pretending To Be Missing Boy Timmothy Pitzen)
Illinois gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker stands with his Illinois gubernatorial Lieutenant Governor candidate Juliana Stratton as he speaks to reporters after sitting with high school students during a round table discussion at a creative workspace for women on October 1, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images)
The law will take effect July 1 and is designed to fight rising teen nicotine use that has been pegged to the popularity of vaping with products like those sold by e-cigarette giant JUUL. The multibillion-dollar company has signaled support for the “Tobacco 21” campaign, reported CNN.
“We know Tobacco 21 policies work. In areas where they are already enacted, smoking rates are falling,” the company said in a statement March 19. “We urge lawmakers in states without these age protections to follow their example, and when and if they do, we will proudly support their efforts.”
Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Oregon, Maine and Massachusetts have already raised the legal purchasing age to 21, reported CNN. Arkansas, Washington and Virginia will reportedly soon follow, and New York is expected to as well after the state Senate passed a bill on April 1.
More than 3.6 million middle and high school students were current e-cigarette users in 2018, a “dramatic” uptick that ended years of decline in overall youth tobacco use, according to a Food and Drug Administration survey in published in November.
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