South Dakota Legislators Reject Tobacco Purchase Age Increase

Valentine’s Day might be a good day for lovers, but it was a bad day for those looking to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, as legislators in South Dakota defeated a bill seeking the increase, making it the second state to nix such the change today.

H.B. 1250 was introduced on Jan. 31  by Rep. Leslie J. Heinemann, R-8, and Sen. Alan Solano, R-32, and cleared its first legislative hurdle when it was approved 8-4 by the House Health and Human Services Committee on Feb. 6. However, it met its defeat on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon.

The bill had yet to go to the Senate for its consideration.

Legislators in Idaho today also rejected a bill seeking to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products. The two states join Indiana and Mississippi where tobacco purchasing age increases have been defeated this year. Legislation remains active in Washington, Illinois, Utah, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Alabama and Florida.

Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Maine and Oregon remain the only states where the minimum age to purchase tobacco has been raised to 21-years-old, while in Utah it sits at 19.

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.