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Illinois Lawmakers Considering Increasing Tobacco Purchase Age

Illinois legislators are reviving bills that would raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21, with lawmakers hoping that Gov. J.B. Pritzker will look on the issue more favorably than his predecessor.

 

More than 30 Illinois communities have already enacted Tobacco 21 ordinances.

 

Democratic Reps. Camille Lilly and Sonya Harper were sponsoring the House bill.

 

Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokeswoman for Pritzker, said he “looks forward to reviewing the legislation.”

Limiting children’s access to tobacco products will likely help prevent them from getting a number of tobacco-related diseases, including lung cancer and heart disease, said Kathy Drea, vice president of advocacy at the American Lung Association in Illinois.

 

Measures to increase the legal age passed both chambers last year, but former Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed them, citing doubts that the legislation would stop teenagers from acquiring tobacco products, as well as concerns over the effect on businesses.

 

The state collected more than $745 million in cigarette taxes, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue’s 2018 annual report. The proposed changes would likely cut the state’s cigarette tax receipts by $40 million a year and sales taxes by $6 million to $8 million, the department estimated.

 

California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, Hawaii, Maine and the District of Columbia have laws that require a person to be 21 before they can purchase tobacco.

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