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Bill to raise tobacco sale age from 18 to 21 in Texas to go before House Committee on Public Health

The bill wishes to designate a minor as someone under the age of 21, making it illegal for businesses to sell cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products to a person not of age.
Credit: City of San Antonio

AUSTIN, Texas — A bill to raise the tobacco sale age from 18 to 21 in Texas will go before state legislators on Wednesday.

According to the Texas House of Representatives, House Bill 749, filed by Rep. John Zerwas, MD, of Richmond, will be heard by the 11-member House Committee on Public Health during their meeting slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. Rep. Senfronia Thompson and Rep. John Wray serve as the chair and vice chair of the committee, respectively.

Rep. Zerwas, a veteran physician and one of four doctors in the Texas House of Representatives, filed the bill on January 11, before it was referred to the Public Health Committee on February 21.

The bill wishes to designate a minor as someone under the age of 21, making it illegal for businesses to sell cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products to a person not of age.

"Passing a law to reduce tobacco use is a sound health policy that also pays tremendous dividends by preventing diseases that cost the most to treat," Rep. Zerwas said in a news release

Every year, smoking costs Texas $8.85 billion in direct health care costs, $1.96 billion in Medicaid costs and $8.22 billion in lost productivity, reports the Texas 21 Coalition (Texas 21). In addition, each Texas household pays $747 in state and federal taxes due to smoking-caused government expenditures

"As a physician, the health-related importance of this proposed legislation can’t be denied," Rep. Zerwas continued.

According to Texas 21, about 95 percent of smokers start before the age 21. In Texas, 10,400 children become daily smokers each year, the group says.

"Raising the tobacco sale age to 21 is an effective strategy to fight tobacco use and it’s gaining momentum nationwide," Texas 21 said in a statement

As of March 1, seven states (Virginia, California, Hawaii, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maine) have raised their tobacco sale ages to 21, along with at least 440 localities. Three of those are in the Lone Star State (Kirby, Leon Valley and San Antonio), according to Tobacco Free Kids.

If made law, the change will take effect on September 1, 2019.

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