According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), three out of every four adults in the U.S. want to see the minimum age extended. More interestingly, the rate is slightly higher with smokers. Of those who smoke (and were polled), 70 percent of smokers would like to see the age uplifted.
With the adults surveyed, 11 percent were strongly against any reforms to the minimum age, while the remainder were either slightly against or expressed no opinion at all.
In most parts of the U.S., the minimum age at which someone can purchase tobacco is 18. In a few states the age is 19 (Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah); beyond this, only Hawaii has an older cut-off: at 21 years of age. A few cities have set separate laws requiring consumers to be older; New York, for instance, has a 21 or over rule.
Discussing the findings, Brian King, Ph.D., of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, said: “Raising the minimum age of sale to 21 could benefit the health of Americans in several ways. It could delay the age of first experimenting with tobacco, reducing the likelihood of transitioning to regular use and increasing the likelihood that those who do become regular users can quit.”
As a comparator, the rate in other countries is lower. For instance, it is 16 in Austria and Belgium. Most other European countries such as the U.K., have the age set at 18.
The minimum is age is seen as an important threshold by health campaigners. According to a recent Surgeon General Report, the tobacco industry markets and promotes tobacco related products at younger people, given that few people past 25 take up smoking. The way to continue to sell tobacco products is to focus on new recruits.
The survey results have been published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The article is titled “Attitudes Toward Raising the Minimum Age of Sale for Tobacco Among U.S. Adults.”
In related smoking news, tobacco smoking may play a direct role in triggering the symptoms of schizophrenia, a new medical research paper, covered on Digital Journal, suggests.
