California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill on Wednesday that raises the state's smoking age to 21, from 18.
"The governor's signature on Tobacco 21 is a signal that California presents a united front against Big Tobacco," state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D) said in a statement. "Together, we stand to disrupt the chain of adolescent addiction." Brown also signed a bill that restricts the use of e-cigarettes in public spaces. California is now the second U.S. state to raise the smoking age to 21, after Hawaii. Active military members are exempt from the law.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
-
The mental health crisis affecting vetsUnder The Radar Death of Hampshire vet highlights mental health issues plaguing the industry
-
The Onion is having a very ironic laugh with InfowarsThe Explainer The satirical newspaper is purchasing the controversial website out of bankruptcy
-
'Rahmbo, back from Japan, will be looking for a job? Really?'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
-
How would assisted dying work in the UK?The Explainer Proposed law would apply to patients in England and Wales with less than six months to live – but medics may be able to opt out
-
Assisted dying: will the law change?Talking Point Historic legislation likely to pass but critics warn it must include safeguards against abuse
-
The EU's landmark AI Act 'rushed' out as countdown begins on complianceThe Explainer 'We will be hiring lawyers while the rest of the world is hiring coders' – Europe's warning about new AI legislation
-
How a Cherokee tribe used tribal sovereignty to open North Carolina's only legal cannabis dispensaryUnder the radar The tribe has plans to open sales to any adult in the state, even though the drug is still illegal there
-
The state of sex work legalization around the worldIn Depth The world's oldest profession has come a long way, but some say it is not enough
-
Is international law falling apart?Today's Big Question Conflict in Gaza is testing the strength of the two intergovernmental courts in The Hague
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
