Oklahoma State Rep. Ben Loring, D-7, will once again try to convince his legislative colleagues to raise the minimum age to purchase and possess tobacco products and alternatives  to 21-years-old, as he has pre-filed H.B. 1432 ahead of the upcoming session.

If passed, the increase would go into effect on Nov. 1, 2019.

Loring has previously sponsored similar legislation, with a 2016 bill failing to get out of the House Committee on Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances, while his attempt in 2017 died in the House Committee on Public Health.

Currently there are six states that have increased the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old: CaliforniaHawaiiMaineMassachusettsNew Jersey and Oregon, though there are more than a dozen looking to join that club. including Mississippi, Washington, New Mexico, Michigan, South Carolina, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, Texas, Delaware, Virginia, Vermont, Indiana, New Hampshire and MarylandNorth Dakota also has a bill that would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 19-years-old.

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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.