By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Tobacco 21: The government wants to raise the minimum age for buying, possessing and consuming tobacco from 18 to 21.
- Broader restrictions: Alcohol would also move to 21, while cannabis and gambling would increase to 25.
- Legislation coming: The proposal would amend the Tobacco Control Act and six other laws.
Trinidad and Tobago wants tobacco to be restricted to 21 and older.
The government plans to introduce legislation Wednesday that raises the minimum legal age for the sale, purchase, possession, or consumption of tobacco from 18 to 21, as part of a broader package of restrictions intended to reduce young people’s access to tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and gambling.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced the proposal on Monday, saying her government intends to strengthen protections for young people against substance use and other potentially harmful behaviors.
The legislation would amend the Tobacco Control Act, the Dangerous Drugs Act, the Registration of Clubs Act, the Children Act, the Liquor Licenses Act, the Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Act 2021, and the Cannabis Control Act 2022.
For tobacco, the change would raise the existing 18-year threshold to 21 and apply to the sale, purchase, possession, and consumption of tobacco products.
“I am resolute in my duty to protect and safeguard the young people of Trinidad and Tobago,” Persad-Bissessar said, citing what she described as the consequences associated with alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other drugs.
Persad-Bissessar said the proposed age increases were deliberate rather than arbitrary and intended to protect the health and welfare of younger people.
The tobacco proposal is part of a broader set of age-related changes. The minimum age for alcohol would also increase from 18 to 21. Cannabis would move from 18 to 25, and the minimum permissible age for gambling would increase to 25.
The proposed cannabis threshold is stricter than an earlier 21-year limit Persad-Bissessar discussed in January, according to state-owned TTT News. The government had previously signaled plans to raise age restrictions on several products and activities.
Persad-Bissessar said that early exposure can have consequences beyond individual users, affecting families and the broader society. “By acting decisively, my Government seeks to ensure that the next generation is afforded every opportunity to grow, learn and succeed without being harmed by early exposure to dangerous substances or risky behaviors,” she said.
