New law in California makes smoking age 21

In this July 16, 2015 file photo, Bruce Schillin exhales vapor from an e-cigarette at the Vapor Spot, in Sacramento, Calif.
In this July 16, 2015 file photo, Bruce Schillin exhales vapor from an e-cigarette at the Vapor Spot, in Sacramento, Calif.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The governor of California on Wednesday approved raising the legal age to buy tobacco for smoking, dipping, chewing and vaping from 18 to 21.

Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown said he signed the measure along with four others restricting tobacco use.

In April, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to raise the legal smoking age to 21, and more than 100 local jurisdictions around the country have made the change, including New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

Brown's spokesmen had no immediate comment.

Democratic state Sen. Ed Hernandez, author of the bill to raise the legal age, expects other states to follow the lead of California.

"It's going to send a shock wave across the country," Hernandez said.

Anyone who gives tobacco or tobacco paraphernalia to someone under 21 could be found guilty of a misdemeanor.

Under the new law, people ages 18-20 will no longer be allowed to buy tobacco in California starting June 9.

Veterans organizations and Republican lawmakers in California objected to the bill, saying people old enough to die for their country are old enough to use tobacco. The California proposal stalled for six months until lawmakers agreed to retain the 18-year-old tobacco age for military personnel and passed it in early March.

The Institute of Medicine reported in March 2015 that increasing the smoking age to 21 would immediately deter 15 percent of people 18-20 from taking up a lasting tobacco habit.

The study, conducted at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, found that raising the minimum smoking age above 20 "will mean that those who can legally obtain tobacco are less likely to be in the same social networks as high school students."

Brown also signed bills to regulate electronic cigarettes, set annual tobacco license fees, push for all charter schools to be tobacco free and expand existing requirements for tobacco-free workplaces to include small businesses, break rooms and hotel lobbies.

He vetoed a bill that would have allowed local governments to establish tobacco taxes.

Anti-tobacco groups also are collecting signatures to raise cigarette taxes from 87 cents per pack to $2. They notified state officials in February that they've collected at least 25 percent of the 535,407 signatures they'll need to place the question on the November ballot.

A Section on 05/05/2016

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