Starting in July of 2020, a new law making it illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco products such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and other vaping products to anyone under the age of 21-years-old will go into effect immediately. The decision to raise the federal minimum age was made by President Trump in late 2019.

The law will have no effect on Bloomsburg University sophomore Trinity Benol, a 19-year-old dual Special Education and Early Childhood Education major from Easton, Pennsylvania, being that she made the decision to quit smoking five months ago.

“If I was still smoking, I would probably just take hits off of other people,” said Benol when asked if the law would have debilitated her ability to smoke if she had not already made the decision to quit.

For students like BU junior Steve Niro, a 20-year-old Mass Communications major from Flanders, New Jersey, the law will not impact him either.

“Where I live, the law already states that you must be 21 to buy tobacco. Either way, I decided to quit a while ago after seeing kids being hospitalized for smoking juuls and THC pens. I wanted to better my health,” said Niro.

The CIAA Clean Indoor Air Act, which prohibits smoking of any kind in places such as academic buildings and residence halls, is followed by BU. For those who choose to smoke in prohibited areas instead of designated outdoor areas, financial penalties will be distributed.