Tulsa Health Department Reminds Tobacco Retailers Of Changes To Age Law

The Tulsa Health Department wants to remind everyone about the age limit for buying tobacco. In 2019, a new federal law raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21, however, the health department believes there might still be some confusion about it.

Over the next few months, the health department plans on visiting many different retailers across Tulsa County to remind them that the law has changed. Corey Love, the Tulsa Health Department's manager of the healthy living program said that he thinks it's possible that people have forgotten about this change because we went right into the pandemic after the law was passed.

Love said that the purpose of the health department's visits is to educate as opposed to catch and punish retailers.

"We’re excited to help out. It's really just to educate. There’s no punishment on the stores, just a reminder. We had a lot going on the last two or three years, and we want to make sure that people, our retail or tobacco retailers, are definitely checking the ID of our youth," Love said.

Love said that it's important for people to remember the legal age to purchase tobacco because of the harmful effects it can have on kids and teenagers who are still growing.

"Definitely dealing with some brain development. We have lungs still being developed slowly, so this is the reality of it, and vaping is still one of the big issues and nicotine. We want to do our best to keep that out of their hands, and they’re also what we used to call replacement smokers. The tobacco companies are still looking for people to replace the old smokers," Love said.

Love also mentioned that the ABLE commission can come in and write tickets to individuals who try to sell tobacco to minors.