Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon has signed a bill into law that will raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21-years-old, making it the fifth state to pass such an increase and the third in recent weeks.

Thanks to an emergency clause in the bill, several parts of the bill go into effect immediately, though the age increase will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2018, at which point it will be illegal for a person under 21 to purchase tobacco and tobacco alternative products such as vaping devices and electronic cigarettes. An amendment during the legislative process prevented the possession of such products by a person between 18 and 20-years-old from also becoming illegal.

Oregon joins Hawaii, California, New Jersey, and Maine in enacting a statewide increase in the tobacco purchase age to 21-years-old.

Update — An earlier version of this story indicated the age increase went into effect immediately; it has been corrected to state that the increase will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2018. We regret the error.

Avatar photo

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.