A bill that would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in New Jersey continues to move through the state senate, having been approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today by a vote of 6-2 with one abstention.

After being introduced in January, Senate Bill 602 now heads to the full Senate for discussion and a possible vote. Should it eventually pass, it would raise the minimum age to purchase both tobacco products and e-cigarettes from 19 to 21, and put the onus for age verification on the sellers of those products. It does not criminalize the possession or use of tobacco products by those under the proposed age illegal.

The bill was co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Codey (D-Essex) and Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), who have previously said that they didn’t think the state’s previous age increase to 19 years of age in 2006 did enough to curtail youth smoking.

 

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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.