Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today introduced legislation to broadly raise the tobacco purchasing age to 21 — now a bipartisan effort that addresses some of the criticism public health groups had of an earlier proposal they saw as too industry-friendly.
McConnell‘s bill is now joined by Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine, who has sponsored legislation to raise the age in the past.
The version released would raise the age to 21 for everyone, backtracking on McConnell’s April promise to exempt “men and women who served in uniform." And his Tobacco-Free Youth Act does not block states from taking more stringent steps on tobacco.Anti-smoking advocates have fought states' T21 — the shorthand for Tobacco at 21 — bills that they say include tobacco industry-backed provisions to weaken enforcement or prohibit local moves to raise taxes and ban flavored cigarettes or other tobacco products.
The bill also encompasses all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, a provision that the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky declared a win after pushing for e-cigarette regulations in a meeting with McConnell last month.
"Since Sen. McConnell stood in our offices just last month and announced plans to file this bill, new data has come out showing that youth e-cigarette use in Kentucky doubled over the past two years," said Foundation president and CEO Ben Chandler.
Rachana Pradhan contributed to this report.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine