Earlier this week, Lehi became the first city in Utah to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 19 to 21-years-old. Today, a state representative introduced a bill to pass the same kind of increase statewide.

Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, has introduced H.B. 324, which would progressively increase the minimum age to purchase tobacco and tobacco alternatives. Specifically, the bill would require that beginning July 1, 2020 and ending December 31, 2020, a person would need to be at least 20 years of age. The minimum age would increase to 21-years-old on January 1, 2020.

Eliason has proposed similar legislation in previous legislative sessions, only to have them fail to advance out of committee.

The bill has been referred to the House Rules Committee for initial discussion.

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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.