MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont state senators narrowly voted against a bill that would increase the legal age for using tobacco in Vermont to 21.
The Senate voted 15 to 14 to table the bill last Friday. Lead sponsor of the bill Democratic Sen. Alison Clarkson said the Senate may decide to reintroduce the bill, but they will have to find more votes.
The measure would have made Vermont the third U.S. state to raise the legal age for using and buying tobacco.
Advocates say that higher ages for tobacco use leads to healthier people and cheaper health care costs. A report from the Vermont legislature’s fiscal analysis office found that the state would have lost about $1.5 million in tax revenue by 2020 if the bill went into effect.
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