Trinidad and Tobago raises the age for alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and gambling

The Senate has passed a bill lifting the legal age to 21 for alcohol and tobacco and to 25 for cannabis and gambling, a public-health measure that cleared on a straight government vote.

Trinidad and Tobago's Senate has passed a bill raising the country's legal age limits for alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and gambling. Alcohol and tobacco move to 21, and cannabis and gambling to 25, in each case up from 18. The measure cleared the upper house by a vote of 15 to 12, as reported by the Trinidad Express, CNC3 and the Trinidad Guardian, after the Lower House had passed it earlier, according to TTT.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced the changes in late September, framing them as a way to strengthen protections for young people. The bill amends several existing laws, among them the Dangerous Drugs Act, the Tobacco Control Act and the Liquor Licences Act.

Passed, but contested

The 15 to 12 result fell along government lines, with the bill winning no support from the opposition or the independent benches, the Guardian reported. The debate has not been quiet. Local outlets have questioned how the new limits will be enforced in practice, and CNC3 reported concern over an exemption clause in the wider miscellaneous bill. The higher thresholds take full effect once the legislation is proclaimed.

The move runs against the grain of a global industry that is pushing the other way. As online betting and prediction markets chase younger audiences worldwide, Port of Spain has chosen to raise the barrier rather than lower it, a decision other Caribbean governments weighing their own alcohol and gambling rules will be watching closely.