TOPEKA — Physician John Eplee hasn’t accepted hesitancy of Kansas lawmakers to raise the threshold for purchase, possession and consumption of cigarettes to 21 years of age from the current standard of 18.
Eplee, who also serves as a Republican state representative from Atchison, said Thursday he was convinced financial and health arguments for the higher age were persuasive enough to keep pushing for adoption of House Bill 2269. He said many of his patients, as well as his parents in their mid-70s, succumbed to tobacco-related diseases. If he were king for a day, Eplee said he would impose a permanent ban on tobacco for all ages.
Still, Eplee told the House Federal and State Affairs Committee that he recognized some in the Capitol remained unconvinced despite his years of advocacy.
