The Alaska State Senate passed a bill that would raise the minimum age to purchase, sell, exchange, or possess tobacco, a product containing nicotine, or an electronic smoking product, selling a tobacco product, possessing tobacco, electronic smoking products, or products containing nicotine by a person to the age of 21. The legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products is currently 19-years-old.
Additionally, Senate Bill 45 would amend the state statute referring to excise tax levied on tobacco products and electronic smoking products in the state. An excise tax is currently levied on tobacco products in the state at the rate of 75% of the wholesale price of the tobacco products, but there would be a tax of 45% of the wholesale price of an electronic smoking product, including a closed-system electronic smoking product.
Sen. Gary Stevens (Kodiak):
“This bill, very simply, is about protecting our children from becoming addicted to nicotine. It is about clearly restricting sales to and possession of nicotine products for our young people. The tobacco and nicotine industry has acknowledged the decline in cigarette smoking, not only in Alaska but throughout the nation and the industry has responded with a barrage of new fashionable smoking options in the form of e-cigarettes and all of those related devices we’ve been talking about. They’re designed specifically to appeal to a wide range of consumers, but particularly to our young people.”
In addressing e-cigarettes, Sen. Stevens added:
“This morning on the radio here in Juneau, there was an ad about vape shops and talking about people come in. Now they can, I suppose, is legal, because you can’t advertise tobacco and alcohol on the radio, that’s illegal, but I suppose they were just talking about the other things that they carry other than nicotine. The more that time goes by the more young Alaskans will become addicted to an extremely unhealthy habit. The more the tobacco industry will continue to market to and profit by these habits. We seem to have given tacit approval that these products are safe and harmless, which is far from the truth.”
The bill passed on a 15-4 vote and is transmitted to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Transcribed audio courtesy of KTOO 360TV.