HB 668 Mississippi House · 2025 Regular Session

MS Juvenile Tobacco Prevention; raise age restriction to 21.

HB 668 raises Mississippi's legal age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21. It prohibits retailers from selling, delivering, or giving tobacco to anyone under 21, requiring them to check government-issued ID for in-person sales and verify age for mail orders. Retailers face escalating fines ($50-$150) for violations, with repeated offenses risking permit suspension. The bill also mandates clear "21+ only" signage at points of sale, restricts vending machine sales to adult-access locations, and bans publishing the names of minors convicted of tobacco law violations. It takes effect July 1, 2025.

Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Jan 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 29, 2025 Last action Mar 11, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced → Current version · 5 edits

MODERATE

HB 668 was amended to lower the minimum age for tobacco sales from 21 to 18 years, increase penalties for violations, and add new requirements for vending machine locations. The bill also expanded the age range in warning signs to reflect both 18 and 21 years.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from prohibiting tobacco sales to individuals under 21 to prohibiting sales to individuals under 18, significantly expanding the protected age group.

ELIGIBILITY

The minimum age for tobacco purchases was lowered from 21 to 18 years old, meaning retailers can now legally sell tobacco to anyone 18 or older.

REQUIREMENT

Warning signs at points of sale now state the law prohibits sales to persons under 18-21 years, clarifying the age range.

ENFORCEMENT

Penalties for vending machine violations were increased from $250 to $250 (no change), but the age restriction for vending machine locations was expanded to include establishments where 18-21 year olds are denied access or must be accompanied by an adult.

The age range in affirmative defenses and enforcement provisions was updated from 21 to 18-21 years to align with the new minimum age.

TIMELINE

A new effective date of July 1, 2025 was added to Section 5.

Floor votes · House Jan 28, 2025

How they voted

119–0

Passed

Total votes 119

Jan 28, 2025

D Democratic39

39 Yea

100% Yea

I Independent2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican78

78 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 11, 2025

Committee

Recommitted to Committee

upper

Mar 3, 2025

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

Referred To Public Health and Welfare

upper

Jan 29, 2025

Introduced

Transmitted To Senate

lower

Jan 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass

lower

Jan 15, 2025

Committee

Referred To Judiciary B

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors