Missouri Tobacco 21 Minimum Sales Age

Federal law (the 2019 Tobacco 21 amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act) prohibits selling any tobacco, alternative nicotine, or vapor product to anyone under 21, and this applies in Missouri. Missouri's state statute, RSMo 407.931, still makes it unlawful to sell these products to persons under 18 and provides an affirmative defense for checking government-issued photo ID; the legislature has not raised the state age to 21. Retailers must comply with the higher federal age. RSMo 407.927 separately requires point-of-sale warning signage. Penalties for clerks under state law start at $25 and escalate with repeat offenses, and owners face escalating sales suspensions.

Selling to anyone under 21 violates federal Tobacco 21 law and risks FDA enforcement. Under Missouri's statute, illegal sales bring clerk fines starting at $25 and escalating owner penalties, up to multi-day sales suspensions.