Lawmaker wants to raise smoking age to 21

BATON ROUGE, La., March 24 (UPI) -- A Louisiana state lawmaker has introduced legislation to prohibit the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to anyone younger than 21.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Monday that the bill by Democratic Rep. Walker Hines would raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21.

Hines said he wants to "reduce smoking in social settings" among teens and young adults. "If someone does not start smoking by age 21, that person probably will not smoke," he was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Hines' bill also requires retailers to post signs in "not less than 30-point type reading 'Louisiana law prohibits the sale of tobacco products to persons under age 21'".

Three states have already raised the age for buying tobacco products to 21, the newspaper said.