Virginia Raises Vaping and Smoking Age to 21

by Christina Matthews

Updated: August 7, 2020

0

Tobacco was once, and still is, in large part, the lifeblood of Virginia. One of the largest tobacco companies in the world, Altria, has its headquarters in Richmond. Despite tobacco’s place in the state’s history, Virginia lawmakers recently passed a law to raise the age to buy tobacco products, nicotine vapor products (such as electronic cigarettes, electronic cigars, electronic pipes, and other similar devices) to 21.

Table Of Contents

1. The Bipartisan Bill
2. Exemption for Active Duty Military Personnel
3. Virginia Vaping and Smoking Age: Critics of the Law

The Bipartisan Bill

The bipartisan bill passed both the House and Senate with majority votes. Now, the bill has been signed of Virginia governor Ralph Northam, a pediatrician by occupation, into law.

Northam says he supports raising Virginia’s smoking and vaping age from 18 to 21 https://t.co/aBzVgN3ot7 pic.twitter.com/W6Pvjxuo6a

— GoDanRiver (@GoDanRiver) 22 января 2019 г.

The bill is a response to report about the rise in teenage tobacco use. The CDC reported last week that 4.9 million young people admitted to using some tobacco product in 2018. That number is up from 3.6 million in 2017. Teenage e-cigarette users are more likely to try regular cigarettes. Worse, they never would have tried cigarettes had it not been for e-cigs.

Alarmed by these recent findings, GOP legislators put forth the bill. The new law aims to prevent older teenagers from buying and then passing on tobacco products and nicotine vapor products to younger teens.

Exemption for Active Duty Military Personnel

The 18-years-old military individual that can provide valid identification would be able to purchase mentioned tobacco products.

Virginia Vaping and Smoking Age: Critics of the Law

If the bill becomes law, anyone under the age of 21 caught buying tobacco products and nicotine vapor products faces a fine of $100, the first time. Any later violation of the law carries a $250 and the possibility of community service.

Shop owners caught selling to underage customers face fines of up to $500. The bill has its critics though not the conventional ones. Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris, and makers of Marlboro supports the bill.

Six other states like Hawaii and California, as well as the District of Columbia, have already raised the minimum age to 21. The District also raised taxes on cigarettes, making them one of the highest in the country.

Christina Matthews

I love the written word, and in my career as a journalist, I strive to provide the facts about everything I write about. There are too many false and alarmist stories out there about life and vaping mainly. My mission is to make e-cigarettes less scary to people with informative articles and extensive research on not only the possible evils of cigarettes and Big Tobacco, but the objective side of e-cigs.

Follow: