Bill to raise tobacco-buying age to 21 passes House

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - A bill that would raise the age of purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21 has passed the House of Delegates.

The bill - HB2748 - includes “nicotine vapor products, and alternative nicotine products, and the minimum age for persons such products can be sold to.”

The bill has the support of House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights.

Cox, a retired teacher, told the Virginian Pilot that he’s been concerned by the number of middle and high school students who use e-cigarettes.

“When I started, we still were dealing with smoking in the bathrooms, but the good news was that smoking had come down by the time I retired,” he told the Pilot. “Vaping growth is really so explosive ... I think it is (becoming) one of the top problems within school.”

The bill was introduced by Del. Chris Stolle (R-Virginia Beach).