Photo by Nicole De Khors from Burst
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a bill yesterday (May 20th) that he’s co-sponsoring with Democratic Senator Tim Kaine to raise the legal age for buying tobacco and e-cigarettes nationally from 18 to 21.
The senators cited the concerns about a surge in vaping among teenagers as being the driving motivation behind the measure, with McConnell saying on the Senate floor, “Youth vaping is a public health crisis.” Major cigarette and vaping companies like Altria, British American Tobacco and Juul support raising the legal age to 21, which has already been done by 14 states.
