Colorado Raises Tobacco Purchase Age to 21

This summer, the Colorado General Assembly passed and the Governor signed into law House Bill 20-1001, officially raising the minimum legal age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21.

The law aligns Colorado with federal 21+ legislation passed in December.

The bill also requires that all tobacco and nicotine retailers in Colorado must be licensed, requires inspections each year, and gives the Department of Revenue the authority to revoke licenses if a retailer doesn’t comply with the law.

Both raising the age to purchase tobacco to 21 and licensing retailers across Colorado are steps in the right direction to keep youth from becoming addicted to nicotine, but opportunities still exist for communities who want to do more.

If you want to support this effort, consider reaching out to your local public health agency to find out how you can help.