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Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday that he supports legislation to raise Virginia’s minimum age for tobacco purchases from 18 to 21, locking in bipartisan backing for the bill among top political leaders.

“The less minors that put that first cigarette in their mouth, the better,” Northam said in an interview Monday morning. “Nicotine is addictive, we know that.”

Northam had not yet weighed in on the legislation introduced in the GOP-led General Assembly last week, but his position doesn’t come as a surprise. As a doctor, Northam served on a state commission that dealt with youth health before running for office. In the state Senate, he championed legislation to ban smoking in Virginia restaurants, a measure the tobacco industry strongly opposed.

All signs point to a less contentious path for the 2019 bill, which lawmakers say arose out of concern about teen vaping. Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc., the nation’s largest tobacco company, has said it supports the legislation.

“I think they recognize that there’s a problem. Especially with this vaping,” Northam said. “This gets ’em started to use other tobacco products. I think it’s a responsible thing for them to do.”