Altria Supports Federal Legislation to Raise the Age of Purchase for All Tobacco Products to 21
April 18 2019 - 12:15PM
Business Wire
Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) (NYSE:MO) -- In response to the
announcement today by Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) for
plans to introduce legislation to raise the age of purchase for all
tobacco products to 21, Altria Group Chairman and CEO Howard
Willard said:
“Altria strongly supports raising the legal age of purchase for
all tobacco products, including e-vapor, to 21. This is the most
effective action to reverse rising underage e-vapor usage rates.
Now is the time to move to 21 and we welcome Senator McConnell’s
leadership on this important issue.”
The number one way kids today get access to tobacco products is
by obtaining them from legal age purchasers. Approximately 80% of
high school students in the U.S. turn 18 years old before
graduation. By raising the minimum age to 21, no high school
student will be able to purchase tobacco products legally, adding
another hurdle to help reduce social access.
There are now 14 states that have passed or enacted tobacco 21
laws, covering approximately 38% of the U.S. population. Recently,
bipartisan legislation was introduced in the House, which also
would raise the legal age of purchase to 21. This is an issue that
has broad, bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House.
According to FDA data, more than 20 million adult smokers in the
U.S. want access to alternative products that may offer less risk
than cigarettes. New and emerging technologies like e-vapor and
heat-not-burn tobacco products offer tremendous promise in this
area. But the FDA has made clear that the future viability of these
products is in jeopardy unless more is done to reverse the underage
e-vapor use trend. Raising the legal age to 21 is a pivotal step to
addressing this issue.
Altria Profile
Altria’s wholly-owned subsidiaries include Philip Morris USA
Inc. (PM USA), U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC (USSTC), John
Middleton Co. (Middleton), Sherman Group Holdings, LLC and its
subsidiaries (Nat Sherman), Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Ltd. (Ste.
Michelle) and Philip Morris Capital Corporation (PMCC). Altria
holds an equity investment in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev)
and JUUL Labs, Inc. (JUUL).
The brand portfolios of Altria’s tobacco operating companies
include Marlboro®, Black & Mild®, Copenhagen® and Skoal®. Ste.
Michelle produces and markets premium wines sold under various
labels, including Chateau Ste. Michelle®, Columbia Crest®, 14
Hands® and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars™, and it imports and markets
Antinori®, Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte™, Torres® and Villa Maria
Estate™ products in the United States. Trademarks and service marks
related to Altria referenced in this release are the property of
Altria or its subsidiaries or are used with permission.
More information about Altria is available at altria.com and on
the Altria Investor app, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190418005559/en/
Investor Relations, Altria Client Services(804) 484-8222
Media Relations, Altria Client Services(804) 484-8897
Altria (NYSE:MO)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024
Altria (NYSE:MO)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024