Jared Daniels
Staff Writer
A bill to increase the minimum smoking age to 21 advanced through the third reading from the Wyoming Legislature yesterday.
This smoking bill is following the federal bill passed Dec. 20, 2019 which increased the purchasing age of tobacco to 21. The Wyoming bill will increase the legal age to purchase, sale, use and possession of nicotine products to 21.
The bill not only raises the age of using and purchasing products with nicotine, but it also redefines tobacco and the products that use it. Tobacco is now defined within the bill as nicotine, which includes cigars, chewing tobacco and cigarettes. The bill also redefines nicotine products to include vapor materials and electronic cigarettes.
“Rates of cigarette use among adolescents and young adults have been decreasing despite the legal age of purchase,” said Allison Looby, an assistant professor for the Department of Psychology at the University of Wyoming with research interests in college student drug abuse.
Vapor material is new in this bill and is defined as liquids that contain either synthetic nicotine or nicotine. Electronic cigarettes are redefined to include any and all devices that are aerosolized or vaporize vapor materials. The electronic cigarettes will not be able to be sold with batteries, charging cables or products that are regulated as drugs.
“We know it’s rare for people to start using nicotine later in life,” said Looby.
The fine for a first time offence within a two year period will be raised from 50 dollars to 250 dollars. The offence includes selling, buying, possessing and using nicotine products whilst under the specified age. If a second time offence occurs in the same two year period the fine for going against this bill will be raised from 250 dollars to 500 dollars.
Looby said the bill may be a good idea and that one would have to see the effects this bill has after its passage.
Another change to the bill is that criminal convictions can no longer be expunged, or erased. Instead, only minors who have been convicted will have the ability for expungement from their record. Only after a two-year period, or after reaching majority, can minors have expungement.
The American Lung Association stated the increase of tobacco age requirements reduces tobacco use and saves lives. The lung association stated that 18 and 19 years olds are suppliers to the younger community and 94% of adult smokers began smoking prior to the age of 21.
“Adolescence are the group with the lowest prevalence rates,” Looby said. “That being said, they are the age that is [most at risk] for initiation.”
Looby offered a proposal that this may be because the pleasurable effects of nicotine are more likely to be experienced by younger individuals than older ones.
