underage tobacco prevention

The Issue:

Tobacco products should only be available to adults and sold by licensed and regulated tobacco retailers.

Underage Tobacco Prevention

Tobacco Issues supports fully restricting the sale of all tobacco products to kids, as well as strict enforcement of these restrictions by state and municipal authorities.

Efforts by lawmakers, tobacco companies, and retailers have driven underage use of conventional tobacco products to historic lows. We believe the best answer for reducing youth tobacco use is enforcing the newly enacted federal minimum age of 21. Data shows that youth under 18 get tobacco products primarily through social sources, including peers in high school who previously were of the legal age of 18. The new minimum age of 21 should go a long way toward reducing youth access to these products.