Tag: smoking age increase

  • Michigan Raises Tobacco Purchase Age

    Michigan Raises Tobacco Purchase Age

    Credit: Vitalii Vodolazskyi

    Michigan has raised the age to purchase tobacco and other products containing nicotine from 18 to 21. 

    “This legislative package brings Michigan in line with the federal Tobacco 21 legislation, raising the state age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21. The package amends several acts to raise the age of sale for retailers, prohibit anyone under 21 from entering a tobacco retail store, and prohibit tobacco sales through the mail to anyone under 21,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stated after signing the bill into law.

    The package also revises the disbursement of proceeds from the tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. Senate Bill 576 also amends a portion of the Michigan penal code to require agents who distribute tobacco through the mail to verify that the recipient is 21 years of age, revising the previous age limit of 18.

    The legislation states that the act will not apply to the Youth Tobacco Act, which now prohibits tobacco use for those under 21, rather than 18.

    “The Tobacco 21 package aligns Michigan with progress at the federal level, and is an important step in keeping tobacco products out of the wrong hands,” said Senator Paul Wojno. “Kudos to Governor Whitmer for working with the me and my colleagues in the legislature to protect our communities and public health across the state.”

  • Taiwan: Bill Approved to Raise Smoking Age

    Taiwan: Bill Approved to Raise Smoking Age

    Photo: toa555 | Adobe Stock

    The Taiwan Cabinet approved a draft amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, which would raise the legal smoking age to 20 from 18 as well as impose a ban on electronic cigarettes and flavored tobacco products, according to Focus Taiwan.

    The draft amendment will now go to the legislature for deliberation.

    If signed into law, those found in violation of the new age restrictions would face a fine ranging from TWD2,000 ($72) to TWD10,000.

    Those found violating the ban on manufacture, import, sale, supply, display, advertising and use of all tobacco-like products, including e-cigarettes, could face a fine ranging from TWD10 million to TWD50 million.

    The proposed bill would provide a legal basis for regulation of new tobacco products, such as heated-tobacco products, stating that suppliers of new tobacco products with unknown health risks should file an application for assessment of said products within a specific time period before suppliers are allowed to manufacture or import the products. Those caught violating this regulation could face a fine up to TWD50 million.

    The bill goes further, expanding the smoking ban to colleges and universities, kindergartens, baby care centers and in-home childcare locations. Smoking in bars and nightclubs would only be allowed in designated areas. Graphic warnings and text would also be increased to 85 percent from 35 percent of the total package surface.

  • NYC attempts to raise smoking age to 21, Chicago may follow

    New York City put forward a proposal Monday that, if adopted, would make it the first major U.S. city to raise the legal age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21 — the same age for buying alcohol, according to a story in USA Today.

    The proposal is part of a decade-long, anti-tobacco campaign by outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has imposed some of the highest cigarettes taxes in the country, banned smoking in parks and run graphic ads on the hazards of smoking. Last month, his administration proposed a requirement that stores keep cigarettes out of sight unless an adult customer asks for them.

    Hours after New York City Council Speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn proposed raising her city’s legal smoking age from 18 to 21, Health Committee Chairman George Cardenas (12th) talked about Chicago following the Big Apple’s lead, according to a story in the Chicago Sun-Times.

    “That’s something worth exploring because more kids are smoking now,” said Cardenas, who didn’t immediately provide data to back that up.