Several said the bill went too far, arguing that if a legal adult can marry, buy a house or serve in the military, the state should not stop them from smoking or vaping, the Forum News Service reported. (a) `tobacco` means cigarettes and all products containing, manufactured or derived from tobacco intended for human consumption, whether chewed, smoked, absorbed, dissolved, inhaled, snorted, snorted or otherwise ingested, or any component, part or accessory of a tobacco product, including, but not limited to, cigars; Cheroots; Stogies; peric; granulated tobacco, stoppers, crimps, grated finishes and other smoking tobacco; Snuff; snuff; Cavendish; Tobacco Plug and Twist; fine-cut tobacco and other chewing tobacco; shorts; tobacco waste, clippings, caps and sweeping; and other types and forms of tobacco. Tobacco excludes any drug, device or combination product, as defined in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The legislation will also improve health by reducing smoking and vaping. Nearly 95% of adults who smoke started before the age of 21. A 2015 study by the National Library of Medicine – Raising the Tobacco Sales Age to 21: Surveying the Legal Landscape found that tobacco 21 reduced smoking initiation by 25% in 15- to 17-year-olds and by 15% in 18- to 20-year-olds. This reduction in smoking would result in nearly 250,000 fewer premature deaths among people born between 2000 and 2019. “Teen vaping rates are astronomical” and have nearly wiped out two decades of progress in limiting smoking.
But raising the legal age of purchase can “break the cycle,” as nearly 95 percent of dependent adult smokers started before the age of 21, Edelson said. The Minnesota Department of Health supports statewide efforts to raise the legal age of sale to 21. At the national level, more than 425 municipalities in 23 states have implemented a tobacco policy 21. California, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey and Oregon have raised their minimum age to sell tobacco nationwide to 21. (b) `tobacco products` means cigarette paper, smoking pipes or other devices intentionally designed or intended to be used in such a way as to permit chewing, sniffing, smoking or inhalation of aerosols or vapours of tobacco or tobacco products. Tobacco-related products include components of tobacco-related products that may be marketed or sold separately. In Minnesota, raising the legal retail age to 21 would have a one-time effect by preventing more than 3,300 young Minnesotans from starting to smoke, according to a January 2017 Minnesota Medicine article.4 Increasing the age gap between children and those who can legally buy tobacco would help keep tobacco out of the high school environment. [ii] A Minnesota-specific study examined the effects of increasing smoking age and found that 25% fewer 15-year-olds would start smoking by the time they turned 18. This means that 30,000 young people will not become smokers in the next 15 years. [iii] If teens don`t smoke by age 21, they probably never will. The legal age to purchase and consume tobacco products in Minnesota is now 21.
These include vaping products and e-cigarettes. Minnesota`s Tobacco Act21 reflects the greater change that has taken place at the federal level and in other states across the country. This legislation aims to prevent dangerous products from entering schools and young people. “It`s about stopping the launch. The vast majority of addicted smokers started before the age of 21,” Nelson said. “If we can delay the start of smoking beyond the age of 21, we will have fewer addicted smokers.” Some lawmakers said the bill doesn`t go far enough, saying young adults who buy or own tobacco products should be punished as minors if caught, similar to the state`s alcohol laws under 21. One attempt to add such penalties was rejected, with others arguing that young people should be discouraged from smoking through education rather than legal sanctions, and that retailers should ultimately be held accountable for their sales. 13. City of Duluth. An Order to amend Chapter 11 of the City of Duluth Code to restrict the sale of flavoured tobacco products to adult smoking rooms. 2018; duluth-mn.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3298582&GUID=16CC3F1B-71AE-4B96-98DA-F91C8838D506.
1. The Minnesota Tobacco 21 Act has come into force, which will ensure the implementation, observance and enforcement of a commercial tobacco sales age of 21. Minnesota`s Tobacco Act 21 applies to all tobacco, tobacco-related products, electronic delivery tobacco, or any device that provides nicotine or lobelia. In addition, this law updated the definitions of electronic delivery devices to include natural and synthetic formulations of nicotine or other similar substances. Minnesota retailers are prohibited by law from selling tobacco and e-cigarette products to anyone under the age of 21, which is enforceable by a $300 fine for initial and subsequent violations. After years of trying, efforts to increase the smoking age gained momentum after more than 70 lung injuries and three deaths in Minnesota were reportedly linked to vaping last year. Next, the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey found that vaping rates skyrocketed among middle and high school students, with a quarter of Grade 11 students reporting using e-cigarettes in the past month. (b) The defendant proves on a balance of balance that he reasonably and in good faith relied on proof of age in accordance with paragraph 6 of section 340A.503 is an affirmative defence to an indictment under this Division. However, the law does not provide for criminal penalties for persons under the age of 21 caught in the act of consuming tobacco products.