A bill that will raise the legal smoking age from Representative Teresa Tanzi, a Democrat from Rhode Island is under consideration by a house committee. The bill was expected to be heard today that will raise the age for smoking from 18 to 21. While communities have raised the age, it has yet to happen on a state level in any state. The bill if passed would go into effect immediate and expected have the […]
You can add Rhode Island to the growing list of states looking to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21. State Representative Tereza Tanzi, a democrat from South Kingstown, Narragansett has introduced bill H-5225 which seeks to raise the purchase age from 18 to 21. A press release from the State House mentions that the American Lung Association believes that the average age a person begins smoking is 20.1 years. The proposal is […]
In Providence at the State Capitol of Rhode Island, Senator Erin Lunch has introduced a bill that would ban smoking on all public beaches within the stare. According to Lynch, discarded cigarette butts, cigar butts and tobacco waste on beach sand is unsightly and unclean and can be particularly hazardous to children if they handle or ingest this material. She says the waste can also wash into the ocean and harm marine life. The legislation was […]
On Friday, the Rhode Island capital of Providence approved an ordinance that will ban smoking in parks beginning on March 11th. The announcement was made by Mayor Angel Taveras who says the ordinance is part of the city’s ongoing effort to reduce underage smoking and secondhand smoke. This comes despite studies that question the validity of second-hand smoke as reported by Forbes magazine. The ordinance which was introduced in July by City Council President Michael […]