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.