Has raising the minimum age to buy tobacco to 21 helped curtail use?
In December 2019, the U.S. raised the nationwide minimum age to buy any tobacco product to 21, following increasing evidence of the impact of a higher minimum age on curtailing consumption.
A 2019 study, for example, found that "tobacco-21" laws reduced the odds of smoking by 39% among 18-20 year-olds who had already tried cigarettes. Another 2019 study found a 3.1 percentage point reduction in 18-20 year-olds' likelihood of smoking in metropolitan areas with tobacco-21 laws. Another study found that after Hawaii raised the minimum age to 21 in 2016, sales of cigarettes and cigars dropped significantly.
The first city in the U.S. to raise the minimum age from 18 years to 21 for tobacco purchases was Needham, Mass., in 2005. The measure reduced youth smoking by half over four years, according to an anti-smoking website funded by the Centers for Disease Control.
