Tobacco Age

The legal minimum age for purchase and consumption of tobacco products currently varies between states and municipalities and has changed several times throughout history.

## Federal

The federal government currently (as of December 20, 2019) requires a minimum age of 18 for sale/purchase of tobacco products. Legislation is pending, but a federal increase to 21 is expected to become law and take effect in 2020.

## State

### Exemptions:

Alaska's possession requirement does not apply to prisoners.

### History

Historically, not all states had minimum age laws, and many varied significantly.

California became the second state in the nation to enact a statewide minimum age of 21 in May of 2016, preceeded by Hawaii.

Delaware's age was raised in July of 2019.

Guam raised the age to 21 in 2018.

Maine became the fifth age-21 state in July 2018.

Maryland became the 9th state in the nation to increase to 21 in April 2019.

Massachusetts was the 6th state to enact a 21 law in December of 2018.

## Local

Counties, cities, and municipalities can and have enacted their own minimum age requirements, almost all of which have raised the age to 21. Most are in states with a lower statewide minimum age, or are in a situation where the municipality raised the age to 21 prior to the state doing so.

* Alaska: Sitka (August 22, 2018)
* Arizona: Cottonwood (June 2016); Douglas (July 12, 2017)
* Arkansas: Helena-West Helena (September 1, 2016); Phillips County (September 2018); Harrison (January 1, 2019)
* California: Healdsburg (June 2015); Beverly Hills - complete ban on tobacco sales beginning in 2021
* Colorado: Aspen (Jan. 2019)(and flavor ban effective Jan 2020); Avon (Jan. 2019); Edgewater (Mar. 31, 2019); Basalt (July 1, 2018); Carbondale (and flavor ban, 2019); Snowmass (May 2019)
* Connecticut: Hartford (Oct. 2018); Bridgeport (Jan. 2019); South Windsor (Feb. 2019); Southington (Mar. 2019); Wallingford (Mar. 2019); Trumbull (Mar. 2019); Milford (April 2019); Meriden (April 2019)
* Florida: Alachua County (Oct. 22, 2019)
* Hawaii: Hawaii County (Jul. 1, 2014)
* Illinois: 37 municipalities prior to statewide increase
* Kansas: 22 local municipalities
* Maine: Portland (June 2016)
* Massachusetts: 237 local municipalities (90% of the state's population) prior to statewide law
* Michigan: Ann Arbor (Jan. 1, 2017); Genesee County (2017, overturned)
* Minnesota: 34 local municipalities
* Mississippi: Adams County (Mar. 2016, excluding Natchez)
* Missouri: 21 local municipalities
* New Hampshire: Dover (2018); Keene (Dec. 2018); Newmarket (Feb. 2019)
* New Jersey: 26 local municipalities prior to statewide increase
* New York: 25 local municipalities prior to statewide increase
* Ohio: 32 local municipalities prior to statewide increase
* Oregon: Lane County (April 2017)
* Rhode Island: Barrington; Central Falls (Feb 2017)
* Texas: San Antonio, Kirby, Leon Valley
* Utah: Lehi, Cedar Hills

## Canada

Canada sets a federal minimum purchase age of 18, and allows further regulation by individual provinces.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/387f
2. ↑ https://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/cessation-and-prevention/tobacco-21-laws.html
3. ↑ https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/tpts/alabama-laws.html
4. ↑ http://www.touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/Statutes/Title11/Chapter76/Section105.htm
5. ↑ https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-jerry-brown-smoking-bills-20160504-story.html
6. ↑ https://ctmirror.org/2019/06/19/lamont-signs-bill-upping-tobacco-purchase-age-to-21/
7. ↑ https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2019/07/16/delaware-raises-smoking-age-18-21/1738717001/
8. ↑ https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/guam-raises-tobacco-age-from-18-to-21-military-bases-will-observe-new-law-1.505156
9. ↑ https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/smoking-region/tobacco-use-hawaii-2019
10. ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-met-jb-pritzker-illinois-smoking-age-21-story.html
11. ↑ https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/07/03/maine-raises-its-smoking-age
12. ↑ https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-tobacco-21-ban-20190403-story.html
13. ↑ https://www.wwlp.com/news/massachusetts/massachusetts-raising-age-to-buy-tobacco-products-to-21-and-older/
14. ↑ https://searhc.org/sitka-tobacco-age-21/
15. ↑ https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/13/cottonwood-raises-age-for-tobacco-purchases-to-21/
16. ↑ https://www.kold.com/story/35878720/city-of-douglas-raises-legal-tobacco-age-to-21/
17. ↑ https://wreg.com/2016/08/30/helena-west-helena-changes-legal-age-to-buy-tobacco/
18. ↑ https://www.fox16.com/news/phillips-county-increases-legal-age-to-buy-tobacco-to-21/
19. ↑ https://www.ky3.com/content/news/Age-to-purchase-tobacco-products-to-move-up-to-21-in-Harrison-Arkansas-494984661.html
20. ↑ https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4135237-181/minimum-age-to-buy-cigarettes
21. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/beverly-hills-becomes-the-first-u-s-city-to-end-most-tobacco-sales/
22. ↑ https://www.tobaccofreeco.org/spotlights/aspen-becomes-first-colorado-community-to-pass-tobacco-21-policy/
23. ↑ https://www.aspentimes.com/news/local/aspen-bans-flavored-nicotine-products-joins-handful-of-communities/
24. ↑ https://www.vaildaily.com/news/avon-council-approves-measure-that-raises-the-tobacco-purchasing-age-to-21/
25. ↑ https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/edgewater-to-raise-age-of-tobacco-purchases-to-21/73-1762a78f-b3fb-4f6b-bcb9-f360c3aa01b4
26. ↑ https://www.aspentimes.com/news/local/basalt-follows-aspens-footsteps-on-buying-cigarettes-tobacco-tax-in-voters-hands/
27. ↑ https://www.postindependent.com/news/carbondale-approves-aggressive-tobacco-ban-despite-criticisms-of-overreaction/
28. ↑ https://www.aspentimes.com/snowmass/council-raises-tobacco-e-cigarette-purchasing-age-to-21-in-snowmass/
29. ↑ https://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-news-hartford-tobacco-age-limit-20181022-story.html
30. ↑ https://patch.com/connecticut/meriden/meriden-raise-age-vape-tobacco-purchases
31. ↑ https://alachuacounty.us/news/article/pages/Alachua-County%E2%80%99s-Tobacco-Minimum-Legal-Sales-Age-21-Ordinance.aspx
32. ↑ https://health.hawaii.gov/tobacco/files/2014/01/BigIs21.pdf
33. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/state/kansas/
34. ↑ https://bangordailynews.com/2016/06/21/news/portland/portland-raises-legal-age-to-buy-tobacco-to-21/
35. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/state/massachusetts/
36. ↑ https://www.a2gov.org/news/pages/article.aspx?i=336
37. ↑ https://www.wxyz.com/news/court-genesee-county-cant-raise-tobacco-sales-age-to-21
38. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/state/minnesota/
39. ↑ https://deltadailynews.com/adams-county-raises-smoking-age-to-21/
40. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/state/missouri/
41. ↑ https://www.fosters.com/news/20180627/dover-to-raise-tobacco-age-to-21-first-in-nh
42. ↑ https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/city-raises-tobacco-age-to-effective-immediately/article\_59d19d91-466c-5bf0-8789-a19d02bbdd73.html
43. ↑ https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20190214/newmarket-raises-smoking-age-to-21/1
44. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/state/new-jersey/
45. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/state/new-york/
46. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/state/ohio/
47. ↑ https://lanecounty.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=7410414
48. ↑ https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/blackstone-valley/central-falls-city-council-votes-to-raise-legal-age-for-buying-tobacco/
49. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/state/texas/
50. ↑ https://tobacco21.org/state/utah/