The legal age to purchase tobacco products in California increased to 21 on Thursday, with Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on a bill by Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina.

“California is sending a strong message that we will not tolerate Big Tobacco’s deceptive marketing of this lethal product aimed at addicting our kids,” said Hernandez, chair of the Senate Health Committee. “This law will save countless lives and reduce costs in our healthcare system. This is a victory not only for Californians today, but for generations to come who will not have to experience first-hand the deadly impacts of tobacco.”

The law applies to traditional tobacco products, including cigarettes and chewing tobacco. It does not apply to active duty military personnel. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will be enforcing the new purchase age through existing penalties established in the STAKE Act. CDPH is sending updated information and signage to businesses.

Additionally, electronic cigarettes will now be classified as a tobacco product, which establishes the same legal age restriction.

“Checking identification is the single most effective way to reduce illegal sales of tobacco,” said Karen Smith, state health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). “CDPH is launching an educational campaign to help retailers comply with the new laws, but the Department also recognizes retailers already know how to check identification and will be familiar with the process because it now matches the minimum age for alcohol sales.”

By increasing the tobacco age to 21, this new law is expected to substantially restrict youth access to tobacco.

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Noted in a news release that the tobacco industry historically targeted minors to purchase tobacco products:
“Raising the illegal minimum age for cigarette purchaser to 21 could gut our key young adult market (17-20) where we sell about 25 billion cigarettes and enjoy a 70 percent market share.”
—Philip Morris Report, Jan. 21, 1986

A 2015 federal Institute of Medicine (IOM) study found that roughly 90 percent of adults who became daily smokers reported that they first began using cigarettes before reaching 19 years of age.

The IOM report concluded that increasing the minimum age to 21 would result in 200,000 fewer premature deaths for those born between the years 2000 and 2019.

Additionally, disease from tobacco use is a major driver of health care costs, with upwards of $3.5 billion annually in Medi-Cal costs, and as much as $18 billion to the overall health care system.