California state lawmakers vote to raise smoking age to 21

On Thursday, California's state Senate approved a bill that will raise the legal purchase age for cigarettes from 18 to 21.

If Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs the age increase, California will become the second state with a smoking age of 21, following Hawaii, the Sacramento Bee reports. The bill, which includes an exemption for active military members, passed with a 26-10 vote. Only one Democrat voted against the measure, Sen. Cathleen Galgiani of Stockton, who said it "didn't make sense" to cause "so many changes to retail markets."

The bill's author, Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Azusa), said the success of the tobacco industry "depends on their ability to market and sell their poison to our kids. It is time that we take a stand."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up