A bill seeking to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in Idaho has been defeated, dying in the Senate State Affairs Committee, the same group to defeat a similar proposal last year, according to a report by IdahoStatesman.com

S.B. 1255 had been introduced by Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise, in late January. It sought to make it illegal for a person under 21-years-of-age to purchase or possess tobacco or tobacco alternative products, such as e-cigarettes.

It’s the second straight defeat for Brown’s bill, though he said he felt more confident about this year’s version, telling the Idaho County Free Press that he revised the bill based on feedback from the previous session, as well as received an attorney general opinion on the constitutionally of the proposal. His attempt to pass similar legislation in 2017 was also defeated by the Senate State Affairs Committee.

A number of other states still have active legislation seeking to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, including Washington, South Dakota, Illinois, Utah, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Alabama and Florida.

Proposals in Indiana and Mississippi have already been defeated this year.

The Idaho legislature has not yet confirmed the bill’s status as it publishes daily journals after the conclusion of each legislative day.

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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.