Two U.S. senators, who represent two states with a long history of tobacco production and consumption, have come together to file a bipartisan bill to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced the ‘Tobacco-Free Youth Act’ Monday which would not only raise the nationwide minimum age to buy all tobacco products to 21, but it would also require an individual to be 21 to purchase e-cigarettes and vaping devices. McConnell also stated they are leading the effort to provide long-term health benefits throughout the country by helping protect young people from starting tobacco use at an early age.
McConnell spoke about 13-minutes on the Senate floor Monday about the history and pride of growing tobacco in Kentucky, but he said parents don’t want their children to get hooked on tobacco products while they are in middle school or high school. He noted Kentucky has been the home of the highest rates of cancer in the country.
right-click to download mp3According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2017 to 2018, youth e-cigarette users increased by 1.5 million, with more than 1 in 4 high school students having reported using a tobacco product in the past 30 days. In response, McConnell and Kaine introduced the ‘Tobacco-Free Youth Act’ to help stem the tide of these alarming trends by ensuring that states and the federal government raise the purchasing age for all tobacco products to 21. Officials say their bill makes clear that it would be unlawful for retailers to sell tobacco products to anyone younger than 21 and that states may enact laws with higher minimums if they choose.
An Insititue of Medicine report found that most adult smokers start smoking before age 21 and that increasing the tobacco age to 21 would save lives, improve public health, and reduce tobacco initiation among youth. Officials say that these young people may not know what chemicals they are putting into their bodies, let along know the long-term health risks that could negatively impact them as adults.
McConnell, who announced last month in Louisville that he would be introducing the bill, says he is ready for a nationwide debate about the health of our children, and he looks forward to working with his Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this bill.
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