Less than a week after failing at a second reading, a bill to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco in Illinois passed a third reading 32-22 with six abstaining.

The bill, SB3011, now moves to the House.

If passed, Illinois would join Hawaii and California as the the only states requiring individuals to be 21 or older to purchase tobacco.

Sen. John G. Mulroe, D-Chicago, proposed the bill. The original version included fines of $50 and 25 hours of community service for those under 21 that were in possession of tobacco. Violations for possession were removed from the bill text.

 

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.