Kaine Introduces Bill To Raise Tobacco Sales Age To 21

Source from:  CBS19 News 11/15/2019

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine says it is time to raise the tobacco sales age to 21 across the entire United States.

This is in response to rising concerns over e-cigarettes and vaping.

Kaine has introduced a bill that would apply the sales age to all tobacco-related products.

He said he is very concerned by what he's hearing from school leaders across Virginia.

On Thursday, he talked about a discussion he had with a school principal concerning 14-year-old children becoming addicted to nicotine.

"Frankly, we don't have a lot of experience helping 14-year-old addicts break addictions. That's what nicotine is doing, even to middle schoolers," said Kaine. "They believe that because it doesn't have smoke or doesn't have tobacco in the concentration that it's harmless but nicotine is one of the most addictive substances there is, and the technologies that are being pioneered by e-cigarette companies enable the delivery of nicotine in vastly greater concentrations."

Earlier this year, Virginia increased its tobacco sales age to 21. The state law went into effect in July.  Enditem