On Wednesday, the state Senate passed a bill raising the legal age for buying tobacco products, e-cigarettes and related vape devices from 18 to 21
Regulations differ depending on the region and age restrictions
Were not calling for a tax to generate revenue to create new departments or pay for tax-and-spend programs
Every lawyer said, You know, nobodys ever won against Big Tobacco
No Smoking Day 2026 will be observed on March 11, the second Wednesday of March, as part of a global awareness effort aimed at encouraging smokers to quit tobacco and adopt healthier lifestyles
Marijuana, however, appears to have been the victim of historical bad luck: Its health effects are no more dire than those of alcohol or tobacco, but over the centuries the plant lacked international corporate backing or fiscal influence. Unlike tobacco and alcohol, which was banned temporarily in the United States during Prohibition but was quickly reinstated to legal (albeit heavily regulated) status, marijuana never became part of the personal habits of influential leaders and celebrities. (That makes sense, of course, given the go-go nature of capitalism and the traits required for success anyone who did make marijuana part of his personal habits would most likely not have become an influential leader or celebrity in the first place.) Instead, the mellow plant lodged itself first in peasant and then in youth subcultures, where it gained a reputation as a gateway drug to harder, harsher illegal substances like heroin and cocaine
