Indiana Proposes Generational Tobacco Ban
Add Indiana to the growing list of states and nations that are considering generational tobacco bans, prohibitions that would make it illegal for future generations to ever legally purchase a tobacco product. On Monday, State Senator Ed Charbonneau, a Republican representing the 5th District of Indiana, introduced Senate Bill No. 322, which would prohibit the sale of tobacco, an e-liquid or an electronic cigarette to any individual born after June 30, 2004. Should the measure pass through the state legislature, it would go into effect on July 1.
If passed, that legislation would make the sale of tobacco products illegal for anyone in the state younger than 21 this coming June 30, not only this year but for the future. That means someone born after June 30, 2004 would never, in their lifetime, be able to legally buy a cigar in the state of Indiana.
The legislation is still in its infancy, having only been introduced and read for the first time on Monday. It now resides in the State Senate’s Health and Provider Services Committee, which is chaired by State Senator Charbonneau, who introduced the bill. Sen. Charbonneau represents the 5th District of Indiana, which sits northwest of Indianapolis. He’s been an Indiana State Senator since 2007.
It will be interesting to see what happens next with the proposal, as Indiana is generally a cigar-friendly state. Indianapolis, for one, boasts an impressive cigar bar and lounge scene, with spots like Burn by Rocky Patel, Blend Bar with Davidoff Cigars and Nicky Blaine’s Cocktail Lounge dispersed among a number of cigar-friendly establishments within the city limits. On one hand, that cigar-friendly prominence, in Indianapolis and across the state, offers a sense of reassurance. Perhaps this proposed bill, like others before it, will never actually see the light of day. Nevertheless, it offers a stark warning that this type of legislation is never far away from any state governing body, let alone at the federal level.
Generational tobacco bans have become the new fad in anti-tobacco policymaking. New Zealand passed and eventually repealed a generational ban. California tried (and failed) to propose their own. Nearly a dozen Massachusetts townships have implemented generational bans into law and now a proposed ban is expected to hit the state legislature this year. Then, there’s the United Kingdom, which is proving awfully intent on having a generational ban at the national level, after two separate governments have introduced such legislation in the past year. All of these drastic measures have come about in just the last few years, and they’re likely here to stay.
Cigar Rights of America has created an online petition opposing SB 322, which you can sign here.
The Premium Cigar Association has a petition as well, which you can access by following this link.
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