US Immigration: The Senate of California, the most populous state in the United States, voted on the 2nd to raise the legal smoking age—the minimum age to purchase cigarettes—from 18 to 21, in an effort to reduce the health risks of smoking for teenagers.
"We will not stand by while massive amounts of tobacco are sold to our children, hooking a new generation of young people on a product that could ultimately take their lives," said the bill's sponsor, Democratic State Senator Ed Hernandez, in a statement. "Tobacco companies know that if people start smoking at a young age, they are more likely to become addicted."
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences estimates that if the legal smoking age were raised to 21 nationwide, the number of premature deaths among those born between 2000 and 2019 would be reduced by more than 200,000. The American Tobacco Association opposes the bill, arguing that 18 is the age at which one can join the military, vote, and sign contracts, and therefore should have the right to smoke.
The bill passed the California Senate with 26 votes in favor and 8 against. It will now be sent to the California State Assembly for a vote, and finally to the Governor for signature to become law.
