The number of states that have passed into law raising the minimum purchase age of tobacco products to 21 has now crossed the 25% threshold. On Monday, the State of Maryland became the 13th State in the U.S. to raise the tobacco age to 21. A bill which was passed in the Maryland legislature was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan.

The new law begins to go into effect October 1st. An exemption is made for members of the military who are at least 18 years old.

Maryland joins Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Maine, Oregon, Massachusetts, Virginia, Utah, Washington, Illinois, Delaware, and Arkansas as states where the tobacco purchase age is now 21.

There are now several federal bills in Congress proposing raising the tobacco purchase minimum age to 21 on a national level. It’s a movement supported by Tobacco-Free Kids, Tobacco 21, and most recently, Altria has announced support for a federally-mandated minimum tobacco purchase age of 21. This is a movement most in the premium cigar industry have chosen not to fight.