Tobacco 21 Issue Brief

Raise the Legal Age to Buy Tobacco and Nicotine Products to 21

W C A A P P O S I T I O N The Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics supports raising the legal age to purchase tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, to 21 years old.

. I S S U E Tobacco is one of the most addictive substances in the world. Teens and young adults are particularly vulnerable to nicotine because nicotine receptors in the brain are still developing. Also, teens and young adults naturally engage in impulsive and risky behavior because connections in the brain for judgment and reasoning are not completely developed until age 25. Raising the age to purchase tobacco products to 21 will delay nicotine exposure during this vulnerable period of brain development and help prevent a lifetime of addiction for our youth.

Q U I C K F A C T S Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Smokers are 2-4 times more likely than non-smokers to develop heart disease and stroke, and 25 times more likely to get lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. In Washington State, 3900 kids under age 18 become new daily smokers each year; 104,000 kids now under 18 and living in Washington will eventually die of smoking-related disease. Research shows that 89% of adults who use tobacco products started by the age of 18 and 95% by the age of 21. Tobacco use is responsible for one in five deaths annually, representing 5.6 million years of potential life lost, $75 billion in direct medical costs, and $82 billion in lost productivity. Early exposure to nicotine during adolescence creates structural changes in the brain. Teens and young adults who smoke or use nicotine products during this critical time period will continually need more nicotine to “feel normal” – setting the stage for addiction. Youth smoking rates decreased by half five years after the first location in Needham, Massachusetts implemented the “Tobacco 21” initiative. Cigarette sales to those under 21 account for only 2% of total sales, but because 95% of smokers start by the age of 21, these are the very sales that help lead to 9 out of every 10 new smokers. The impact to store owners will be minimal, but the impact to preventing lifelong addiction will be tremendous.

L E G I S L A T I V E A S K Raise the legal age to purchase tobacco and nicotine products to 21.