Maine upholds bill to raise smoking age

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Legislature on Wednesday upheld a bill raising the age to buy tobacco in Maine to 21, while letting stand Republican Gov. Paul LePage's vetoes of bills targeting distracted driving and calling for an overhaul of solar regulations.

Lawmakers returned for their final day of the session to deal with bonds and vetoes.

LePage, who named one of his dogs Veto, on Tuesday released a list of about two dozen vetoes of bills that he said revealed legislators' ineptitude and propensity for growing government with unfunded mandates and social engineering.

While the House GOP successfully defended a number of the governor's vetoes, the Legislature also rejected some of LePage's vetoes, including a bill to require the hiring of more public health nurses and another bill to raise the age to purchase tobacco to 21.

Starting July 2018, adults under 21 can no longer buy tobacco products in the state. Maine joins Hawaii, California and New Jersey, which last month, became the third state to raise the smoking age to 21.

"We have a public health crisis, people are addicted to deadly substances and they are dying," said Republican Rep. Karen Vachon, who called nicotine a "highly addictive drug" particularly for young people. Other lawmakers noted that Mainers have to be 21 to consume alcohol and marijuana, while opponents of the legislation stressed that it only targets the age to purchase, and not consume, tobacco.