By Zach Hester, Reporter • zach@southerntorch.com

PHOTO: A new law signed last December raises the age to purchase tobacco to 21 nationwide. (Wikimedia Commons)

ALABAMA — A new law signed last late year has raised the age to purchase tobacco products in the United States from 18 to 21. The previous age to purchase tobacco products in Alabama was 19.

On December 20, 2019, President Donald Trump signed legislation to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (originally passed in 1938) and raise the federal minimum age to purchase tobacco products. According to the legislation, “it is now illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking causes approximately one in five deaths every year in the United States with almost 500,000 deaths annually. Additionally, exposure to secondhand smoke causes an estimated 41,000 deaths each year. 

According to a notice on fda.gov, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, hookah tobacco, and cigars. 

The change of law is “effective immediately [in Alabama]” according to a statement made by Alabama’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.