On June 3, ASAM signed on to a letter authored by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids expressing support for the Tobacco to 21 Act, introduced by Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Representative Chris Stewart (R-UT), and the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act, introduced by Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Representative Donna Shalala (D-FL). Both bills would increase the legal age for sale of tobacco products to 21 and are designed to be implemented quickly and effectively, without catering to special interests. Given that 95 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before the age of 21, and younger children in high school frequently obtain tobacco products from their eighteen-year-old classmates, these bills should help to keep tobacco out of high schools and away from youth.

In contrast to the Tobacco to 21 Act and the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act, the Stopping Consumption of Tobacco by Teens (SCOTT) Act of 2019, introduced by Representative Robert Aderholt (R-AL), contains some concerning provisions that would dull the impact of increasing the age to purchase tobacco products to 21. The SCOTT Act would take significantly longer to raise the age for purchase of tobacco products than the other two bills currently under consideration. Furthermore, the bill contains a troublesome definition of “vapor product,” and it does not clearly limit enforcement of the 21 tobacco sale age to retailers and commercial entities. This opens the door to enforcement agencies punishing youth who may be addicted to tobacco products, instead of the retailers and commercial entities that targeted them with marketing and advertisements. 

Read the letter here.