Calif. Senate OKs raising smoking age
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Senate on Thursday gave final legislative approval to bills that would regulate electronic cigarettes and raise the smoking age to 21 in the state, sending them to Gov. Jerry Brown for consideration.
Senate leader Kevin De Leon, D-Los Angeles, called the six tobacco bills approved Thursday “the most expansive tobacco control legislative package in over a decade.”
Supporters of additional tobacco controls used the special session to advance bills that had bogged down during a regular session, moving them through new committees not controlled by opponents. The bills were approved last week by the Assembly. Most Republicans voted against both bills.
The bill on electronic cigarettes bans their use in restaurants, theaters and other public places where traditional smoking is already prohibited. Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said his bill also significantly prohibits marketing the devices to minors.
Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Murietta, said there is concern that electronic cigarettes serve as a “gateway” to the use of regular cigarettes, especially for teenagers. “For the first time, more teenagers use e-cigarettes than cigarettes,” Stone said.
Sen. John Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa, opposed the measure, saying it infringes on freedoms. “Everybody has the right and the freedom to smoke,” Moorlach said.
The Senate also passed a measure by Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, that would raise the legal minimum age for smoking in California from 18 to 21. Hernandez said the proposal will save lives because fewer minors will take up cigarettes.
The senator said “fierce” opposition to the bill by the tobacco industry shows that it relies on a business model “to market and sell this poison to our kids.”
Sen. Joel Anderson, R-San Diego, opposed the bill, saying it would deprive people who return from war a chance to smoke. The bill exempts active military personnel.
If the governor signs the bill, California would become the second state in the country, after Hawaii, to increase the age to buy tobacco products to 21.
