Yet tobacco is sold legally in virtually every country in the world, and after decades of understanding its harms, it remains not only legal in Canada, but also highly accessible and profitable (for everyone but the consumer). On December 20, 2019, the President signed a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act and raise the minimum age to sell tobacco products from 18 to 21. This law (known as “Tobacco 21” or “T21”) came into effect immediately, and it is now illegal for a retailer to sell tobacco products – including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes – to anyone under the age of 21. The new federal minimum age for sale applies to all retail stores and individuals without exception. The Tobacco Institute. The tax burden on tobacco: a historical compilation. Washington, DC: The Tobacco Institute, 1994. Act 112 of 2002, an Act to amend Titles 18 and 53 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes that prohibits the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 21. In 2002, Pennsylvania`s Bill 112 amended section 6305 of the Criminal Code, creating new fines for employees and owners of tobacco retail stores. In November 2019, Governor Tom Wolf signed a law banning the sale of tobacco, nicotine or related items to anyone under the age of 21. The law: National Cancer Institute. Tobacco Control Strategies in the United States: A Blueprint for Public Health Action in the 1990s. Bethesda, MD: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Unit, National Institutes of Health, 1991; NIH Publication No. 92-3316. The laws relating to the licensing of retail sales of tobacco products are summarized Table_3C. Thirty-three state laws require some form of retail license to sell tobacco products Table_3C. Eighteen state laws include chewing tobacco, snuff, or both in their licensing requirements. In North Carolina, a retail license is required to sell all tobacco products except cigarettes. Any state laws that require companies to obtain a license to sell tobacco products also penalize companies that violate licensing requirements. The tobacco industry has been successful in countering tobacco control policies by promoting state preventive laws that prevent local jurisdictions from imposing restrictions stricter than state law, restrictions that deviate from state law, or related restrictions (9,14). As at 30 June 1995, 17 of the State`s smoke-free indoor air laws contained reservations (Table_2A Table_2B Table_2C). Pre-emption measures reduce the protection generally provided by stricter local regulations and discourage local control of tobacco use and exposure to the ETS (9,14). In addition, pre-emptions at the local level limit educational efforts and public debate forums that are important for changing attitudes towards tobacco use and exposure to the ETS (14). State law enforcement efforts, preventative laws, court orders, and federal laws all affect the impact of state smoke-free legislation.
This section highlights the importance of state legislation, the protection afforded by the law, and the influence of other factors on the impact of such laws. Smoke-free indoor air In July 1992, Congress enacted Section 1926 of the Public Health Services Act (the Synar Amendment), which requires states to enact laws restricting the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors as a condition of receiving federal funds for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse. This provision also requires states to enforce these laws in a manner “that can reasonably be expected to reduce the extent to which tobacco products are available to persons under 18 years of age” (20). The NCI SCLD is a database of legislation dealing with various cancer control issues, including tobacco. Before entering the SCLD, ongoing and enacted tobacco control legislation is identified by StateNet, a legislative reporting service, and by original research. Printed copies of state laws are obtained from state legislative offices. From there, detailed summaries are developed, keyword assignments are made, and completed abstracts are entered into SCLD. Keyword searches were used to identify relevant laws for analysis purposes. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration. 21 CFR Parts 801, 803, 804 and 897. Provisions restricting the sale and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products for the protection of children and youth; proposed rule.