Bill in Salem would raise tobacco sales age to 21

Cancer-fighting advocates rallied Wednesday at the Oregon Capitol to support legislation that would raise the state’s sales age for all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21, saying the move would protect kids from deadly tobacco addiction and save thousands of lives each year

At a press conference, state Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (D-Beaverton) announced she will introduce legislation this week that would raise the state’s tobacco sales age to 21.

Supporters said the legislation promises to curb smoking rates, protect kids from a deadly addiction, and save lives and money. At current smoking rates, 68,000 Oregon kids alive today will eventually die from tobacco-related illnesses, they said.

Raising the legal sale age is popular with the public, including smokers, backers said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of Americans – including seven in 10 current smokers – support the policy. A poll released by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) found that 64 percent of Oregonians support raising the tobacco age to 21.

ACS CAN and its Tobacco 21 For Oregon coalition partners launched their statewide campaign last year. This legislative session, the coalition will push for passage of the legislation to make Oregon the third state in the country to raise its tobacco sales age to 21. A hearing for the bill is scheduled for February 7 in the Senate Healthcare Committee.

“Raising the legal age of sale for tobacco products is a public health issue. We know that smoking causes a wide range of health issues, including cancer, heart disease and early death,” said Sen. Steiner Hayward. “If we can prevent life-long nicotine addiction by limiting young people’s early access to cigarettes and other tobacco products, I will see this as a job well done.”

Tobacco use remains Oregon’s leading cause of preventable death, killing roughly 5,500 Oregonians yearly. Each year, roughly 1,800 Oregon kids under 18 become new daily smokers.

Raising the tobacco sales age to 21 would have the biggest effect on teens aged 15-17. The National Academy of Medicine predicts that increasing the national sale age to 21 would reduce smoking rates between this age group by 25 percent.

“We know that 95 percent of adult smokers begin this deadly addiction before they turn 21,” said ACS CAN Oregon Government Relations Director Christopher Friend. “Raising the sales age to 21 would help keep tobacco out of high schools, where younger teens often get these products from 18-year-old classmates. With nearly 24 percent of Oregon 11th graders reporting they use tobacco, our lawmakers must take action to protect future generations and save lives.”

Evidence suggests the adolescent brain is more susceptible to the addictive qualities of nicotine. Research by the U.S. Surgeon General indicates youth can become dependent on nicotine very rapidly and at lower levels of consumption than adults.

Supporters of the higher age limit said the tobacco industry targets young adults ages 18 to 21 because they know it is a critical time for solidifying nicotine addiction. The 18-21 age range is when most people transition from experimental tobacco use to regular, daily use. Big Tobacco spends an estimated $111 million yearly in Oregon to market their products. In contrast, Oregon spends just 25 percent of what is recommended by the CDC on its tobacco control programs, they said.

If passed, Oregon would follow California and Hawaii in raising its tobacco sales age to 21. The policy has also passed in at least 210 cities and counties nationwide. Many other cities, counties and states, including Washington state, are considering it this year.

ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials to make cancer a top priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer and make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.