You now have to be 21 to purchase tobacco products in the U.S.
The Food and Drug Administration has officially raised the legal age from 18 to 21, The Hill reports. This is in effect for cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaping cartridges, and cigars. The move comes after Donald Trump signed a $1.4 trillion spending bill that had to pass by Dec. 20 to avoid a government shutdown. The spending package included the tobacco measure.
At first, it wasn’t clear when the new tobacco buying age would be enforced. The FDA had six months to change its policies after Trump signed the bill into law and then 90 days to implement the measure.
The FDA has also shared a message about the new law on its website. “It is now illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product—including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes—to anyone under 21,” the site says.
Per The Hill, the FDA said its site was updated on Dec. 20, the day Trump signed the legislation. Before the legislation became legal, 19 states and D.C. had raised the minimum purchasing age to 21.
The measure had bipartisan support, which is likely a response to the 52 deaths in the U.S. that stemmed from the use of e-cigarette or vaping, which has been confirmed by the CDC.
In September, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced an “emergency executive action” where he banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, or vapes. New York became the first state to take such action as governor Cuomo’s intention included raising the legal age to buy e-cigs to 21.
