Increasing the “Smoking Age”: The Right Thing to Do
Authors: Michael B. Steinberg, Cristine D. Delnevo
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2013)

Ideas and Opinions15 October 2013Increasing the “Smoking Age”: The Right Thing to DoMichael B. Steinberg, MD, MPH and Cristine D. Delnevo, PhD, MPHMichael B. Steinberg, MD, MPHFrom Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the School of Public Health, New Brunswick, New Jersey.Search for more papers by this author and Cristine D. Delnevo, PhD, MPHFrom Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the School of Public Health, New Brunswick, New Jersey.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-159-8-201310150-00695 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and the goal of comprehensive tobacco control is to reduce its harm to society. Helping smokers quit is insufficient—it is also critical to prevent young people from ever taking a puff on that first cigarette. Toward this aim, New York City has proposed to increase the legal age of sale for tobacco products from 18 to 21 years and to make it illegal for merchants to sell tobacco to persons younger than 21 years.The proposed policy is grounded in strong epidemiologic evidence, given that nearly 90% ...References1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services 2012. Google Scholar2. Hammond D. Smoking behaviour among young adults: beyond youth prevention. Tob Control. 2005;14:181-5. [PMID: 15923468] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. DiFranza JR and Coleman M. Sources of tobacco for youths in communities with strong enforcement of youth access laws. Tob Control. 2001;10:323-8. [PMID: 11740022] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. 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Limiting youth access to tobacco: comparing the long-term health impacts of increasing cigarette excise taxes and raising the legal smoking age to 21 in the United States. Health Policy. 2007;80:378-91. [PMID: 16698112] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Ahmad S. Closing the youth access gap: the projected health benefits and cost savings of a national policy to raise the legal smoking age to 21 in the United States. Health Policy. 2005;75:74-84. [PMID: 16298230] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Tobacco Behavior and Public Opinion Survey. New York: New York City Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene; 2012. Accessed at www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/smoke/public-opinion-survey-wave-2.pdf on 1 May 2013. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Michael B. Steinberg, MD, MPH; Cristine D. Delnevo, PhD, MPHAffiliations: From Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the School of Public Health, New Brunswick, New Jersey.Disclosures: None disclosed. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M13-1271.Corresponding Author: Michael B. Steinberg, MD, MPH, Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Division of General Internal Medicine, 125 Paterson Street, Suite 2304, New Brunswick, NJ 08903; e-mail, [email protected].Current Author Addresses: Dr. Steinberg: Division of General Internal Medicine, Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 125 Paterson Street, Suite 2300, New Brunswick, NJ 08903.Dr. Delnevo: Rutgers School of Public Health, Department of Health Education and Behavioral Science, 335 George Street, Liberty Plaza, Suite 2100, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.Author Contributions: Conception and design: M.B. Steinberg, C.D. Delnevo.Drafting of the article: M.B. Steinberg, C.D. Delnevo.Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: M.B. Steinberg, C.D. Delnevo.Final approval of the article: M.B. Steinberg, C.D. Delnevo.This article was published online first at www.annals.org on 26 August 2013. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoPrimary Care Interventions to Prevent Tobacco Use in Children and Adolescents: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement* Virginia A. Moyer , on behalf of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force† Metrics 15 October 2013Volume 159, Issue 8Page: 558-559KeywordsAdolescentsAlcoholsBehaviorConsciousnessEpidemiologyLegislationReasoningTaxesTobacco controlYoung adults ePublished: 8 March 2020 Issue Published: 15 October 2013 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...