Tobacco Laws

On June 9, 2016, California became the second state in the country to raise the legal age of purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21.This new law aims to reduce the number of smokers by targeting teenagers who may begin smoking in high school. Governor Jerry Brown signed a selection of bills establishing this law in early May, but vetoed a bill that would allow counties to have more control over cigarette tax.Angus Fletcher (‘17) may agree that cigarettes cause severe health complications, but does not see this law as the motion that will impact teenage smoking.“I think it’s stupid, because everywhere else in the world the cigarette age is 18, and our drinking age also being 21 makes it even worse,” Fletcher said. “This law won’t prevent younger people from using tobacco products, just like how having a drinking age doesn’t stop underage drinking.”Even though teenagers may find a way around this new law, it still sends a stronger signal that smoking cigarettes is not acceptable.The thinking behind the creation of the law is that if teens who are 18 are able to purchase cigarettes, it is more likely that teens ranging from 14 to 17 will be able to buy it from them. In theory, if no high school students have access to cigarettes or cigarette related products, it would be easier to enforce a stronger no-smoking policy on high school campuses. Sophie Major (‘18), a supporter of the new law, thinks cigarettes are dangerous and cause serious health consequences.“I believe cigarettes are terrible for your health,” Major said. “Raising the age will make it harder for teens to get them and limit the number of people getting addicted so early in life. People shouldn’t smoke cigarettes at all, especially not at a young age.”According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking causes over 480,000 deaths annually—42,000 of which resulting from exposure to secondhand smoke. And according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), there are 34,000 deaths annually in California.The law also restricts the sale of tobacco paraphernalia (papers, wraps, pipes, etc) and electronic cigarettes. This is a controversial topic, because e-cigarettes are considered by some to help people end their tobacco addiction.Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education (CTCRE), stated that although e-cigarettes are not nearly as dangerous, they are still toxic and equally addictive."Exposing the developing brain to nicotine, which is in both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes, physically changes the brain,” he said. “The younger someone starts to smoke, the more addicted they tend to get.”The outlawing of purchasing cigarettes and related products for people under 21 has been intact for a few months now. Overtime, California will be able to measure whether or not this law was effective.