TEMPE, AZ — Tempe has voted to raise the age a person can purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 years old.
Following a second and final public discussion Thursday evening, the city council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance, to raise the age.
The ordinance also installs fines and fees to ensure retailers are in compliance.
Tempe parents and organizations brought forward their concerns about the challenges and dangers associated with underage tobacco use in late 2021.
Then, a Tempe committee started looking at changes they could make to the rules.
If this ordinance passes, the city would establish a tobacco license registry and stores could be fined if they break this rule and sell to buyers under 21.
Stores would be fined for the first three offenses, and then have their license suspended after that.
The CDC said tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States.
The city of Tempe said young people are particularly susceptible to how addictive tobacco products can be.
Currently, Arizona is one of ten states that does not have a statewide tobacco licensing registry.
That means retailers that sell tobacco products can keep selling their products even after repeated violations for selling to minors.
In 2019, President Trump signed a federal law that raised the sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21, and some Arizona cities, like Flagstaff and Tucson, then enacted local ordinances to align with that federal law.
Tempe now joins that list.
Last year, Tempe city council tried to move forward with a ban on all flavored vaping products.
This age ordinance could be the first step to a more comprehensive one in the future that could include product restrictions too.
