Indiana Legislator Seeks Age Increase, Smoking Ban

A pair of anti-tobacco bills were introduced to the Indiana Legislature on Tuesday by Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary; one seeks to limit the places where smoking is allowed, while the other would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco and alternative nicotine products from 18 to 21-years-old while also raising the cigarette tax.

Brown’s H.B. 1380 seeks to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21-years-old, while also pursuing an increase in the cigarette tax. While other tobacco products such as cigars wouldn’t be affected, the tax on a pack of cigarettes would go from $0.995 to $2.995. That money would be used to fund tobacco use prevention and reduction efforts as well as fund the state’s medical residency education fund.

The bill also makes changes to prohibit persons under 21-years-old from entering several types of establishments where tobacco is sold or consumed.

H.B. 1381 is similar to a bill Brown introduced last year, as it seeks to removes the exemptions that allow smoking in certain places where it would otherwise be prohibited. Among those places would be cigar shops and lounges, who would be forced to prohibit customers from lighting up within said establishments. Also losing their exemption would be horse racing facilities, riverboats, casinos, bars and taverns, gambling facilities, hookah lounges, private clubs, and tobacco manufacturing facilities.

Brown has been pursuing such a change since 2012.

Both bills have been referred to the House Committee on Public Health, and would go into effect on July 1, 2018, should they pass.

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.