Illinois Legislators Urge Rauner To Increase Smoking Age To 21

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A bill proposing to raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 will soon be on Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner's desk.

Senate Bill 2332, commonly referred to as "Tobacco 21", recently passed the General Assembly, with a 61-49 vote in the Illinois House of Representatives and 35-20 in the Illinois Senate.

Representative Jonathan Carroll (D-Buffalo Grove) says he is calling on the Gov. Rauner to support the bill in an effort to cut down on the number of young smokers.

"The negative health effects associated with smoking claim the lives of people every day," Carroll said in a press release. "By raising the legal age to purchase tobacco, we are taking preventative steps to ensure that smoking stays out of the hands of impressionable teens, while reducing the health implications for those in our community and across the state."