HAGATNA (AP) — People can still buy tobacco in Guam at 18 after the U.S. territory’s governor vetoed a bill that would have raised the age limit to 21.
HAGATNA (AP) — People can still buy tobacco in Guam at 18 after the U.S. territory’s governor vetoed a bill that would have raised the age limit to 21.
Legislators voted 9-6 to approve a measure increasing the legal age to buy tobacco products and use electronic cigarettes, the Pacific Daily News reported.
But Gov. Eddie Calvo vetoed the legislation last week, calling the measure vague and unenforceable.
“As adults, we each have the right to make our own individual life choices, even if that choice is bad for our health,” Calvo said in his veto letter. “And it’s our personal responsibility to live with whatever choice we ultimately make.”
Vice Speaker Benjamin Cruz authored Guam’s measure and said in a statement that he’s hoping to get the 10 votes needed to override the veto.
“Cigarettes turn choice into a lifelong addiction funded by taxpayers—many of whom never smoked a day in their lives,” Cruz said in a news release. “When it costs 40 times more to treat a smoker than a nonsmoker, it isn’t about choice. It’s about saving lives, saving dollars, and saving valuable public resources.”
Some U.S. states have limited tobacco sales to people who are at least 21. Hawaii was the first, with a law that went into effect in January. California followed.