Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has proposed a measure to raise its legal age for smoking tobacco to 21 from 18, according to a Reuters to report.
If the law is enacted and the age limit is raised to 21, Washington would be the first and only state to have done so. The age limit in most states is 18 or 19. That said, several cities and counties — such as New York City and Hawaii County — have already raised the smoking age to 21.
One of the goals of the legislation — which would set the legal age for purchasing and possessing tobacco and nicotine-vapor products to the same as the state's minimum drinking age of 21 — is to restrict access to teens.
Mr. Ferguson told Reuters, "We must do more to protect our youth from tobacco's grip, and this bill is an important step toward keeping nicotine out of the hands of kids and young adults."
Reducing healthcare expenses is another aim of the proposal although the legislation is estimated to cost the state $20 million a year in tax revenue, according to the report.
Washington ranks No. 7 in the country for the lowest percentage of smokers, according to the United Health Foundation's 25th annual America's Health Rankings.
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