Oregon House Health Care Committee Votes to Raise Tobacco Age to 21, Already Passed Senate
Legislation to raise the minimum age for purchasing tobacco and tobacco products to 21 has been approved by Oregon’s House Health Care Committee.
The committee voted 7 to 2 on Friday to give approval to Senate Bill 754. The vote on the bill comes roughly a month and a half after it was passed by the full Senate with a vote of 19 to 8. The measure will now move towards a vote by the full House of Representatives; passage in the House would send it to Governor Kate Brown for consideration.
The proposed law “Increases from 18 to 21 years old the minimum age to purchase tobacco and nicotine products.” It would establish “a set of fines ranging from $250-$1,000 for individuals or businesses that distribute or sell tobacco-related products or inhalant delivery systems to persons under 21 years of age.”
In addition, the measure “Modifies statutory definition of cigarettes to include inhalant devices and products not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration”, and “Expands the types of facilities not permitted to allow a person under 21 years of age to possess tobacco or inhalant delivery systems when on facility grounds to include colleges, community colleges, universities, career schools and technical education schools.”
Click here for the full text of Senate Bill 754.
