California’s Anti-Tobacco Bills Should Head to Gov. Brown Friday

It’s been about six weeks since a package of anti-tobacco bills was passed by the California legislature, including an increase in the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21-years-old. But they weren’t transmitted to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk for his signature, as a lobbyist known for ties to tobacco giant Altria promised a fight over non-tobacco proposals unless changes are made to the proposed tobacco laws.

It now appears that the period of limbo is over, as the Sacramento Bee is reporting that legislators will deliver the bills to the governor on Friday, at which point he will have 12 days to sign them.

Included in the package is legislation that classifies e-cigarettes as tobacco products, allows local municipalities to impose additional taxes on tobacco products and expands the ban on smoking in workplaces. Additionally, tobacco-free policies and education programs would be promoted at schools.

Should Gov. Brown sign the legislation–which he is expected to do–California would become the second state to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21, joining Hawaii, which passed the legislation last year and had it go into effect on Jan. 1.

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, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, 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.