New bill in Congress would raise age to buy and use tobacco products

The age to use tobacco products could soon be going up, as new, bipartisan legislation has been introduced into the U.S. Congress by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Nebraska’s Unicameral has passed a bill through the first reading to raise the age of using and purchasing e-cigarettes from 18 to 21, but this new bill at the federal level would apply to all tobacco products.

“Nationwide we’re in the middle of a completely new public health epidemic,” Sen. McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor.

From 2017 to 2018, high school student’s use of what are classified as tobacco products went up nearly 40 percent.

This significant rise has led to this new legislation from McConnell called the Tobacco Youth Act, which would raise the legal age to buy and use tobacco products in the U.S. from 18 to 21.  This includes e-cigarettes.

Earlier this year, we spoke with the Lancaster County Health Department, who said rising levels of vaping are causing teens to pick up tobacco use.

“Youth who use a vaping product are four times more likely within the next year to go on to use a cigarette,” Christina Hitz told Channel 8 in January.

While vaping has been on the rise in recent years, this bill would extend to all tobacco products.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia is a co-sponsor of this bill, and says the country is backsliding on the fight against youth tobacco use.

“The recent increases in youth tobacco use demonstrate we need to do more,” Sen. Kaine said.

Both Kaine and McConnell’s home states of Virginia and Kentucky have the highest rates of death caused by smoking in the country, and Kentucky is second in the nation in tobacco production.

Even so, McConnell says this legislation is now one of his “highest priorities”.

“It’s our responsibility as parents and public servants to do everything we can to keep these harmful products out of high schools and out of youth culture,” Sen. McConnell said.

Some retail stores have already taken this matter into their own hands.

Wal-Mart and Walgreens have announced they’ll be implementing their own age limit of 21.  Wal-Mart’s will go into effect July 1, with Walgreens following on September 1.