Pritzker To Decide If 'Tobacco 21' Becomes Law

[Sherman A1]

The Illinois Senate Thursday approved raising the legal smoking age from 18 to 21. All eyes now turn to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has yet to say where he stands on the idea.

Some lawmakers say they’re confident Pritzker will sign the plan into law, which would prohibit the sale of tobacco products to those under 21 and penalize businesses that violate it. But—the democratic governor has stayed mostly silent on the issue.

In an unrelated press conference, Pritzker said those who smoke should pay higher taxes on cigarettes and start paying a tax on vaping products. He talked about his children and smoking.

"As the parent of teenagers, I don’t want my kids to take up cigarette smoking, I don’t want them to take up vaping, but people who choose to do it can help subsidize, for example, the healthcare of others in the state”.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/pritzker-decide-if-tobacco-21-becomes-law