ILLINOIS (WAND) – The Tobacco 21 bill is again going to the Illinois House of Representatives.
House Bill 345 moved through the Illinois House of Representatives Health Care Availability and Accessibility Committee on Tuesday. It would require people to be at least 21 years old to buy tobacco products instead of the previous age minimum of 18.
Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill to raise the tobacco age in August of 2018, saying the legislation would “inhibit the choice of consumers” and fail to keep underage people from getting their hands on tobacco. A matching bill was introduced in the 101st General Assembly.
The American Lung Association voiced its support for HB 345.
“The state of Illinois has made significant progress in passing Tobacco 21 laws at a local level, but given the alarming rise in teen e-cigarette use it is now more important than ever to implement this law statewide,” a press release said. “This law is proven to protect children, reduce smoking rates, save on healthcare costs and save lives. We urge the Illinois House and Senate to follow the lead of the Public Health Committees and support this legislation.”
Critics of the measure have said they feel raising the minimum purchase age violates their personal liberty, because they should be able to smoke if they want. They also argue small businesses will suffer because a large portion of their income is related to tobacco sales.
The ALA says raising the age can stop people from ever starting to smoke, because 95 percent of adult smokers try cigarettes before they’re 21.
The full text of the bill is attached to this story as a PDF.
