Pushing ‘tobacco 21’

U.S. lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate on Tuesday that would raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21, reports CNBC. The bill, known as the Tobacco to 21 Act, would raise the age for all tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes, and prohibit retailers from selling tobacco products to anyone under the age of 30 without photo identification.

“Unlike other bills drafted by the industry, our bill has no special-interest carve-outs or limitations on state and local governments,” said Colorado Representative Diana DeGette. “Unlike other bills, our bill was drafted with one simple goal in mind and that’s to protect public health by keeping tobacco products out of the hands of young people.”

Public health groups, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and American Heart Association, support the legislation.

“The Tobacco to 21 Act will be an important step to protect kids from the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, and we urge our nation’s leaders to quickly pass this lifesaving legislation,” American Lung Association CEO Harold Wimmer said in a statement.