Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., is pursuing a noble cause with establish a minimum age of 21 for purchasing tobacco products. But this is a policy that very likely will have to be handled by the states — and that’s not a bad thing, either. Not every worthy idea has to be imposed from Washington.
In the first place, there appears little chance this legislation will make much progress in the present Congress or in the face of opposition from powerful lawmakers in tobacco-growing states.
Moreover, the bill is much more direct than the federal minimum age for alcohol — also 21 — which nudged states rather than dictating to them.
That legislation, passed in 1984, didn’t require states to limit the drinking age. Instead, it threatened to withhold 10 percent of federal highway allocations if they failed to raise the age to 21.
By 1988, every state had done so, as public opinion regarding young-adult drinking was shifting rapidly as well. The result: Drinking by high school seniors dropped by 38 percent and binge drinking fell by a similar amount.
DeGette’s bill doesn’t threaten. It would simply set the law for the nation. However, even without her bill, states are beginning to reform their laws.
This year Hawaii became the first state to raise the age to 21. Last year, New York City also set the minimum at 21.
Colorado’s legislature in 2014 killed a bill to increase the age to 21 from 18. A fiscal analysis predicted the state could lose $3.7 million a year in tax revenue if people under 21 weren’t allowed to purchase cigarettes.
Lawmakers should care less about the revenue than the health benefits.
Researchers believe raising the minimum legal age to 21 around the country would result in 12 percent fewer smokers over time and 223,000 fewer premature deaths.
Teen tobacco use should be a great concern because its implications are serious and long-lasting. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to the effects of nicotine and seem to acquire the addiction at lower levels of exposure when compared with adults. That addiction will cause problems for many of them throughout their lives.
Colorado lawmakers should bring back this legislation — especially given the legal status of marijuana. It makes no sense to set a minimum age of 21 for retail marijuana but 18 for tobacco products.
Research confirms teens can get addicted faster, often remain lifelong smokers and die sooner. Raising the minimum age should be a bipartisan cause to protect this state’s young adults.
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