WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today joined eight other Senators in introducing the Tobacco to 21 Act (S. 2100), legislation that would prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.  Most states, including Rhode Island, allow tobacco sales at age 18.

“Smoking is toxic, addictive, and unhealthy for people at any age.  We want to cut youth smoking rates and prevent young people from getting hooked.  Raising the national age to buy tobacco products to twenty-one will help save lives.  And cutting down on the number of new smokers each year will also generate significant health savings for taxpayers,” said Senator Reed, noting that tobacco use costs the United States approximately $170 billion in direct medical costs every year.

“The choice to smoke comes with very serious and lasting health consequences, and has cost our country millions of lives through the years,” said Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.  “The Institute of Medicine has shown that raising the age for purchasing tobacco will lead to fewer smokers, reduce how much people smoke, and ultimately save lives.  I’m committed to acting on these findings and that’s why I’m glad to support this bill.”

In the last 50 years, nearly 21 million people in the United States have died due to tobacco-related illnesses, making it the leading cause of preventable death in the country.  A recent report by the Institute of Medicine found that raising the legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21 nationwide would reduce the number of new tobacco users, decrease smoking frequency by 12 percent, and save more than 220,000 lives from deaths related to smoking.

The bill was introduced by Brian Schatz (D-HI).  Hawai‘i recently became the first state in the nation to raise the smoking age to 21.  Several localities in eight states nationwide, including New York City, have raised the purchase age to 21.  And so far, four states -- New Jersey, Alaska, Alabama, and Utah -- have increased the legal smoking age to 19.

Other Senators cosponsoring the bill include: Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).  Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Mark Takai (D-Hawai‘i).

The Tobacco to 21 Act is supported by a number of national groups, including: the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Academy of Pediatrics, Academic Pediatric Association, American Pediatric Society, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Veterans (AMVETS), American Public Health Association, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Trust for America’s Health, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs, First Focus Campaign for Children, Pediatric Policy Council, and the Society for Pediatric Research.

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