Texas Senate votes to raise legal age for tobacco to 21
A divided Texas Senate voted Tuesday to raise the legal age to buy, use or own tobacco products or electronic cigarettes from 18 to 21.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, said startling statistics on tobacco use by teens, and its effect on the numbers of adult smokers, prompted her to file Senate Bill 21.
“Ninety-five percent of adult smokers began smoking before they turned 21,” she said, adding that teen use of vape pens and e-cigarettes has been declared an epidemic by the U.S. surgeon general and U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to one estimate, if the legal age were raised to 21, “there be 32,027 fewer tobacco-related deaths by 2100” in Texas, Huffman said.
Read more: https://www.amarillo.com/news/20190410/texas-senate-votes-to-raise-legal-age-for-tobacco-to-21
