Smoking Age
“Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death.”
That’s a major point from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fact sheet, and it’s a pretty irrefutable fact. On average, “smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.”
“Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths per year, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030,” the fact sheet continues.
This editorial board doesn’t need to convince anyone that smoking is terrible for their health, and we stand behind most policies that dissuade people from smoking cigarettes — in particular, higher tax rates and massive, graphic health warning labels. But we’re not so sure about the latest anti-smoking proposal in the state Senate.
Senate Bill 325, sponsored by Jennie Forehand (D-Montgomery), would raise the minimum age for purchasing and using tobacco products from 18 to 21 years old.
“This would make it harder for many in the university community to purchase tobacco,” said Carlo Colella, administration and finance vice president at this university. “Even fewer people on campus would be smoking.”
We’re not quite convinced. While the bill would most likely stop some potential smokers from purchasing cigarettes, it’s hard to imagine college and high school students wouldn’t just do the same thing they do with alcohol: either use fake IDs or simply get tobacco products from their older friends.
Still, there are plenty of reasons this bill is a good idea. According to tobaccofreekids.org, about 4,200 Maryland residents younger than 18 become regular smokers each year. These minors get cigarettes from those 18 or older who can legally purchase them.
This is a troubling, multilayered problem. At face value, the bill limits the rights of those between the ages of 18 and 21, preventing them from obtaining and smoking cigarettes legally. But on a deeper level, it hopefully would work to break a cycle of even younger kids getting hooked on cigarettes.
That potential outcome is enough to make the bill fair and worth considering. But it’s not enough to make it worth passing.
As an editorial board that supported lowering the age to run for the College Park City Council and supports lowering the drinking age, we would be inconsistent and hypocritical to favor raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products. At age 18, citizens can vote, drive and enlist in the military. Our society considers 18-year-olds adults, and they must be treated as such.
Other measures to discourage smoking should be applauded: From 1998 to 2010, smoking in this state fell by a third, while the cigarette tax quintupled. That tax rate is $2 a pack, tied for 12th-highest in the country. It can — and should — be even higher. State voters have supported these so-called sin taxes in the past, and they likely would again.
As for raising the age, it remains to be seen if that would have any concrete, demonstrated impact. Just a few months ago, New York City raised its age to purchase cigarettes from 18 to 21. Voters and legislators in this state should watch and take note to see if that change makes a substantial impact on smoking habits for those under 21. But until there is an established benefit, this state should seek out other, less discriminatory measures.
