On Tuesday the Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that the legislation to change the legal age for tobacco use to 21 passed the first step with a 12-3 vote in the House Care and Wellness Committee.
The bill to change the legal age was announced on Jan. 21 in the form of two bills; Senate Bill 5954 and House Bill 1458 and has bipartisan support.
The bill might not happen right away as one of the sponsors, Senator Mark Miloscia a republican out of Federal Way said his goal was the pass the bill in three years.
The new legislation would not apply to military bases where the legal age to buy and consume tobacco products would remain 18.
Washington is home to more than 7 million residents over 71,362 square miles and became a state in 1889.
