Congress Close to Passing Nationwide Ban on the Sale of Tobacco to Anyone Under 21

Politico reports that Congress plans on raising the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco to 21 as part of a $1.4 trillion spending bill that must be passed by December 20 to avoid a government shutdown. The bipartisan support that this legislation has received is likely in response to the 52 deaths in the United States stemming from the use of e-cigarette or vaping, which has been confirmed by the CDC. 

In September, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced an “emergency executive action” where he banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, or vapes. New York became the first state to take such action as governor Cuomo’s intention included raising the legal age to buy e-cigs to 21. 

“New York is not waiting for the federal government to act, and by banning flavored e-cigarettes we are safeguarding the public health and helping prevent countless young people from forming costly, unhealthy and potentially deadly life-long habits,” governor Cuomo said.

That same month, Donald Trump said that he wanted to place a ban on non-tobacco flavored vapes, but his stance began to soften over concerns that they would still come into the country illegally. However, his support for setting a new federal minimum age for buying tobacco products to 21 remained the same. While we await the passing of this new proposed spending bill, it is “more than likely” to stay in the package. 

The House will vote on the bill Tuesday while the Senate is expected at some point prior to the Friday deadline.