IOM Study Supports Raising Tobacco-Purchase Age to 21 March 13, 2015 News, Public Health Institute of Medicine, IOM, SB 151, smoking, tobacco 0 A report released today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) said that raising the smoking age to 21 could reduce smoking by as much as 12% in the next generation and cut smoking-related deaths by nearly 10%. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in this country. The U.S. Surgeon General estimates that 5.6 million youth alive today will lose their lives prematurely if we don’t do more to reduce current smoking rates. Roughly 90% of daily smokers first tried a cigarette before age 19, a time when researchers say the brain is still developing in areas like decision-making and impulse control. That development continues until about age 25. In California, a bill to raise the minimum smoking age from 18 to 21 has been introduced in the state legislature. SB 151, introduced by Senator Ed Hernandez, would make California the first state in the country to raise the minimum smoking age as high as 21. More than 70% of Americans and 58% of current smokers support raising the purchase age to 21, according to a study published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Tobacco Control. It was the first study to examine Americans’ appetite for changing the status quo. The majority said it was important that teens never experiment with tobacco. The IOM’s 335-page report, Public Health Implications of Raising the Minimum Age of Legal Access to Tobacco Products, outlines the likely effects of setting the minimum age at 19, 21, and 25 years. Comments are closed.
