Raising the smoking age cuts down on teen tobacco use, study says

Several cities across the nation (and the whole state of California) are toying with the idea of increasing the tobacco sales age to 21 in order to minimize teen smoking. According to a study done in Needham, Masaschusetts, there is now evidence that the tactic works.

In 2005, Needham raised the tobacco minimum age from 18 to 21, while surrounding cities kept the usual age minimum of 18. Researchers surveyed 16,000 high schoolers four times between 2006 and 2012 and found that the number of teenagers buying cigarettes decreased from 18.4 percent to 11.6 percent. The surrounding cities remained consistent, only down to 19 percent from 19.4.

“More than 80 percent of smokers begin before 18,” explained Shari Kessel Schneider, the project director at the Education Development Center in Waltham, Mass. Read the study in full at Tobacco Control.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up