„Today is an important milestone for the health of Illinois residents. As the eleventh state to adopt Tobacco 21, Illinois is at the forefront of modern health policy,“ said Deborah Brown, Chief of Mission of The Lung Association. „Governor Pritzker and the state legislators who supported this bill have proven that they truly care about the health of their constituents. With the youth e-cigarette epidemic and the rise of tobacco products flavored with easily concealed fruits and candy, Tobacco 21 is now more important than ever. This law protects children, reduces smoking rates, saves health care costs and saves lives. The Lung Association will continue its work in the fight for this legislation across the country. The legislation also removed the ownership component of the Illinois law. Fermon said officials can still stop a young child from smoking, but they won`t worry about a 19-year-old smoking. A public place would be any building or vehicle used by the public and open to the public. This could include government-owned or leased buildings. You can smoke outside, but not less than 15 feet from an entrance to an area where smoking is prohibited. With nearly 95% of adult smokers saying they tried their first cigarette before the age of 21, raising the legal retail age may prevent young people from starting.

Opponents also cite data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting that smoking rates in the U.S. are already declining. Banning smoking for young people can make smoking more attractive to them. As a result, such an initiative may not be able to have the desired effects. Are you worried about doing it alone? You may be able to get free legal help. Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia have raised the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21. It is likely that other States will continue to evaluate these initiatives in the future. Opponents of these laws say it is neither constitutional nor fair for an 18-year-old to be drafted and serve in the military, to vote and marry, but not to legally purchase tobacco products. The National Academy of Medicine estimates that raising the state`s legal age to buy tobacco products to 21 could reduce overall smoking rates among adults (over 21) by up to 12%. It is assumed that the largest decline in tobacco use occurs among 15- to 20-year-olds. According to the Illinois Department of Health, research conducted in Finland seems to support the idea that smoking rates among young people decrease when the legal age to purchase tobacco products is raised and enforced.

Daily smoking decreased among 14-16 year olds after the legal age to buy tobacco products in Finland was raised from 16 to 18. Today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law Bill 345, which raises the legal age for tobacco sales to 21. The American Lung Association applauds state lawmakers for passing the law, known as Tobacco 21, which is vital to community health. Only logged-in users can post comments. Please log in or register if you wish to leave a comment. We do our best to respond to any comments. We cannot provide legal advice in the comments, so if you have a question or need legal help, please see Getting Legal Help. National data show that about 95% of adult smokers start smoking before the age of 21. According to a study by the National Academy of Medicine, tobacco policy 21 could reduce smoking by 12% overall by the time today`s teens grow up. The largest decline in tobacco use can be seen among adolescents aged 15 to 17 (25%) and 18 to 20 (15%).

The cost of smoking-related health care in the United States is estimated to be nearly $5.5 billion annually, with an additional $5.3 billion lost due to smoking-related productivity losses. In addition to prohibiting the sale and distribution of tobacco products, e-cigarettes and alternative nicotine products to persons under the age of 21, the law is as follows: One of the arguments in favour of raising the legal age to 21 is to prevent at-risk youth from becoming addicted to tobacco and nicotine products. Studies suggest that most people who smoke tobacco products started at the age of 18. A 1986 report by Phillip Morris found that raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products would reduce their key market (17 to 20 years). It is illegal to smoke in a car while a person under the age of 18 is present. This is illegal even if the car is parked and the windows are open. This does not apply to e-cigarettes. It is still legal to use an e-cigarette when minors are in the car.

The most common argument against raising the legal smoking age to 21 concerns other rights granted to the age of 18. When someone turns 18, they have the right to choose, serve in the military, and marry legally in most states. Some argue that it is fundamentally a violation of an adult`s rights to prohibit them from using tobacco products. Smoking at a young age increases the risk of lung cancer. For most smoking-related cancers, the risk increases if the person continues to smoke. Among youth, the short-term health consequences of smoking include respiratory disease, nicotine dependence, and the risk associated with other drug use. Currently, 16 states have raised the age of tobacco purchase from 18 to 21. Sets the legal age to sell e-cigarette products at 16 to comply with tobacco laws with exceptions for family businesses. In most states where marijuana is legal for medical or recreational purposes, the legal age to purchase marijuana products is 18.

This new proposal could create an unbalanced situation where someone can legally purchase marijuana, but not tobacco products. There has been speculation that this could lead young people to consume more cannabis products, as tobacco is not available to them. Proponents of these initiatives point out that most adult smokers started smoking before the age of 21, so raising the legal purchasing age to 21 will reduce the number of adult smokers. This will then reduce health care costs and lost productivity associated with smoking. As of July 1, 2019, you must be at least 21 years old to legally purchase tobacco products in the State of Illinois. This means that if you are under 21, it is illegal for you to purchase these items: Adds e-cigarettes to products that can be purchased by minors to orchestrate „bites“ or compliance checks by law enforcement, meaning law enforcement would be able to perform vaping facilities without legal issues of a minor trying to purchase the prohibited products. The national raising of the legal drinking age to 21 has led to a decrease in alcohol-related deaths, particularly from alcohol-related accidents, among persons under 21 years of age. Removes the illegal „possession laws“ for minors seen with the above products and removes a provision that would require a minor and guardian to take a smoking prevention course. The Ministry of Health claims that 95% of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 21. About 90% of people who give cigarettes to minors are themselves under the age of 21.

The objective of the initiative was to reduce the prevalence of smoking among youth. Hopefully, this will reduce the overall burden of disease associated with tobacco product use in the state. The law specifically prohibits the sale of tobacco, vaping or liquid nicotine products to anyone under the age of 21 in the state of Illinois. Prohibits the sale of tobacco, vaping and liquid nicotine products to persons under the age of 21. Exposure to nicotine during adolescence can impair brain development and function. Adolescents may be more susceptible to addictive behaviors than adults because the anterior part of the brain, which is responsible for decision-making and impulse control, is not yet developed. If people under the age of 21 are not allowed to buy tobacco products, this can lead to a significant reduction in the number of people who become addicted to tobacco as adults. Dozens of municipalities across the state had already banned the sale of tobacco to people under the age of 21. A violation of this law is considered a minor offense.

A fine of up to $100 may be imposed for the first offence under this Act. If there is a second offence, the fine can be up to $250. Tobacco 21 comes into force on July 1, 2019. Illinois is the eleventh state in the Union to pass the law, along with Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Defines the delivery revenue requirement for businesses between the ages of 18 and 21. Bloomington police spokesman John Fermon said his department has issued compliance control plans on local businesses to ensure those businesses comply with the new law.