Indiana House Panel Supports Bill Raising Smoking Age To 21

ACROSS INDIANA -- The Associated Press reports a bill backed by a House panel Monday would increase Indiana's legal tobacco products purchasing age from 18 to 21. The House Public Health committee voted 9-0 on the measure sponsored by Democratic Rep. Charlie Brown of Gary, AP reports, adding Brown also wanted to increase Indiana's $1 per pack cigarette tax to $3, but that provision was stripped out by the committee.

This comes as Indiana consistently receives poor rankings among states when it comes to key public health measures, including smoking rates.

According to AP, Brown says increasing the purchasing age would create a powerful disincentive to smoke by not only improving health, but also saving the state money due to the detail that many poor people receiving subsidized health care are smokers.

More: Indiana Alliance Pushes For Repeal Of Protections For Smokers

However, AP says convenience store associations say an age increase would cut their profit margins.

This comes less than a month after a report that a group of Indiana health and business organizations are pushing for a repeal of a law protecting smokers, which would require employees to stop using tobacco products, even when not on the clock, as some Indiana employers have complained smokers raise their insurance costs.

More: AP News

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