Please read Dr. Hudson’s article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health titled, “Adoption of Tobacco 21: A Cross-Case Analysis of Ten US States.“
Nearly 90% of tobacco users start before age 18, and nearly 99% start before 26. Tobacco 21 (T21), a national campaign aimed at raising the minimum legal sale age (MLSA) for all tobacco products in the United States to 21 was designed to decrease access at retail and limit the social channels through which youth get tobacco products, with the goal of preventing or delaying tobacco initiation. In March 2015, a seminal Institute of Medicine (IOM) report described the public health implications of raising the MLSA for tobacco products and concluded that a national T21 law would result in an additional 12% decrease in smoking prevalence and a 10% decrease in smoke-related deaths. While a fairly recent tobacco control initiative, momentum around raising the MLSA has grown over the past decade. T21 laws were first passed primarily in localities, then the state level, up to 19 states and DC before finally culminating in Congress raising the MLSA to 21 in December 2019. To read the full article.
Adoption of Tobacco 21: A Cross-Case Analysis of Ten US States. Hudson SV, Kurti M, Howard J, Sanabria B, Schroth KRJ, Hrywna M, Delnevo CD.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 5;18(11):6096. PMID: 34198807 PMCID: PMC8201309 DOI: 3390/ijerph18116096