A Flurry of States Have Raised Their Smoking Ages. But Big Tobacco ’s Involvement Has Some Health Groups Uneasy

Momentum is growing for a nationwide movement to raise the legal age of tobacco purchase from 18 to 21. Experts say the widespread and worrisome teen vaping epidemic is a major catalyst—but so is support from e-cigarette and tobacco companies, which has some health groups feeling uneasy. On June 7, Texas joined about a dozen other states in enacting so-called Tobacco 21 policies; even more cities and counties have raised their legal buying ages, and a string of national retailers have instituted corporate policies that echo these legislative efforts. In Texas, the law will raise the purchasing age for all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, starting in September. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recently proposed similar legislation at the federal level, and specifically cited “epidemic levels” of teen e-cigarette use as a primary motivator for his bill. McConnell’s reasoning is familiar. “The nationwide increasing prevalence of vaping has helped policymakers and legislators across the country to really sharpen their focus on tobacco as a whole, and to look more closely at vaping,” says Dr. Peter Pisters, president of Texas’ MD Anderson Cancer Center. On the surface, it appears to be a silver lining to a public-health disaster. But many health groups are wary of the fact that tobacco and vaping companies, such as Altria and Juul, have thrown their weight behind these policies. Lobbying from Big Tobacco and Big Vape has h...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized public health Source Type: news