Along with Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, Senator Mitch McConnell has introduced a bill raising the minimum age to buy tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to 21 nationwide.

“It shouldn’t be 18 any longer, it should be 21 and this legislation will make that happen," McConnell said as he spoke about the bill on the Senate floor. Leader McConnell controls the Senate floor schedule and said he will prioritize enacting the bipartisan bill.

The bill introduction makes good on the Senator’s commitment to introduce such a measure, which he says is intended to bend the curve on youth use of vaping products.

Currently, most states set 18 as the minimum age of purchase. 14 states and many localities have enacted laws raising the legal age of purchase to 21.

The bill is similar to a bill introduced in the previous Congress by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Todd Young (R-IN) and Mitt Romney (R-UT).

There are several bills in the House that raise the legal age of purchase to 21. Some have only the minimum age of purchase or provision, and some go even further, banning menthol and other flavorings for nicotine products, prohibiting online sales and updating on-pack warning labels.