Tobacco 21 and the State of Missouri
In December of 2019 the federal minimum legal sales age was raised to 21. As of September 15th, 2021, 39 states have raised the age of sale for all tobacco products from 18 years of age to 21. Missouri has remained a state that has not aligned the age of sale with federal standards to prevent retailers from selling tobacco products to those under 21 years of age. Currently, only half of Missouri’s population lives in a community with a local Tobacco 21 law.
The Missouri Eliminate Tobacco Use (MO ETU) Initiative is working to establish a coalition of tobacco control stakeholders across the state to discuss a Tobacco 21 policy for Missouri. MO ETU will be working in the upcoming months to educate organizations on the components in best practices age restriction policies, what exists in Missouri’s current laws, and how organizations can engage in the process.
As part of this effort, MO ETU has prepared a policy brief and one-page fact sheet discussing the need for a comprehensive, state-wide Tobacco 21 law and model Tobacco 21 legislation language. The policy brief and fact sheet are available for viewing and download here: