Washington’s Governor to Sign Tobacco Purchase Age Increase Friday

You will soon have to be at least 21-years-old to purchase tobacco products on the entire West Coast of the continental United States, as Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, has announced that he will sign a bill raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old during a ceremony on Friday at 3 p.m. at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

With his signature, Washington will become the ninth state to enact such an increase.

The bill, H.B. 1074, passed by the Senate by a 33-12 vote and the House of Representatives by a tally of 66-30. It does not make any changes to laws regarding the possession or use of tobacco, leaving that at 18-years-old. It also will not affect sales on military installations, and it will not seek a penalty for possession of tobacco products by a person under 21-years-old.

The increase will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

Washington joins Hawaii, California, Oregon, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Virginia and Utah, the last two of those group doing so this year. The list could soon grow to over ten states, as the legislatures in both New York and Illinois have passed similar ordinances that are waiting on signatures from their respective governors.

Featured image via Gov. Jay Inslee on Flickr, used and cropped with permission via (CC BY-ND 2.0).

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.