Post by Logan on Feb 12, 2016 5:55:19 GMT -6
Kentucky bill would ban sale of tobacco, 'vaping' products to those under 21
Frankfort -- The sale of tobacco and nicotine vaporizing products would be prohibited to Kentuckians younger than 21, rather than the present age of 18, under a bill headed to the House of Representatives.
The House Health and Welfare Committee voted 10-4 for House Bill 299, sponsored by Rep. David Watkins, D-Henderson.
Watkins, a doctor, acknowledged that his bill faces tough odds in the General Assembly, given Kentucky’s culture as a tobacco-growing state where 26 percent of adults smoke. Hawaii is the only state to restrict tobacco products to adults age 21 and older, although a few local governments also do so, including New York City.
But smoking kills thousands of Kentuckians annually through cancer, heart disease and other ailments, Watkins said, and many smokers pick up the deadly habit as youths. Forcing Kentuckians to wait until they’re a few years older to buy tobacco legally might discourage some from ever starting, he said.
Read more here: www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article59835226.html
Frankfort -- The sale of tobacco and nicotine vaporizing products would be prohibited to Kentuckians younger than 21, rather than the present age of 18, under a bill headed to the House of Representatives.
The House Health and Welfare Committee voted 10-4 for House Bill 299, sponsored by Rep. David Watkins, D-Henderson.
Watkins, a doctor, acknowledged that his bill faces tough odds in the General Assembly, given Kentucky’s culture as a tobacco-growing state where 26 percent of adults smoke. Hawaii is the only state to restrict tobacco products to adults age 21 and older, although a few local governments also do so, including New York City.
But smoking kills thousands of Kentuckians annually through cancer, heart disease and other ailments, Watkins said, and many smokers pick up the deadly habit as youths. Forcing Kentuckians to wait until they’re a few years older to buy tobacco legally might discourage some from ever starting, he said.
Read more here: www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article59835226.html