February 26, 2019 Patrick Lagreid Age Restrictions,  Regulations

Kentucky’s Tobacco Purchasing Age Increase Bill Likely Dead

A bill seeking to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old in Kentucky is effectively dead after it failed to clear the Senate’s Agriculture Committeee on Monday.

The bill, S.B. 249, failed by a final vote of 6-4, though it remains technically alive throughout the rest of the session. The bill could come up for another vote, however it is generally rare that such a move would happen.

The age increase in the bill would also apply to tobacco alternatives such as electronic cigarettes and vaping devices. It had received the support from Altria as the company supported putting the age for tobacco on par with alcohol and could be used to encourage FDA to relax proposed regulations on e-cigarettes and vaping products.

Seven states have raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old: Hawaii, California, Oregon, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts and Virginia, which just enacted its law last week with it scheduled to go into effect on July 1.

Kentucky S.B. 249 Tobacco 21 tobacco purchasing age
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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, 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.

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