OLYMPIA — A bill that would hike Washington’s legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21 has passed out of a House committee by a 9 to 3 vote.
The House Health Care &Wellness Committee approved House Bill 2313 on Friday. The measure would also ban people younger than 21 from buying electronic cigarettes and vaporizing devices.
A recent poll by independent pollster Stuart Elway said 65 percent of 500 surveyed voters support boosting the smoking age to 21. The survey was taken Dec. 28-30 and had a sampling error margin of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
A Senate version of the bill, Senate Bill 6157, is scheduled for a hearing on Monday. A similar bill last year didn’t get a hearing in the Senate.
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