Age increase to purchase tobacco?

Smoking isn’t anything new to East Texans, or for that matter the world; however, a recent bill waiting to be approved might raise the purchase age in Hawaii from 18-21.

My big question is, could this happen here in Texas?

I know for me personally, I did experience the whole trying smoking thing as a youngster and I’m thankful I quit. Now that I’m 21, I can make more informed decisions, and there isn’t all that peer pressure around me and the weight of trying to fit in anymore.

I know that legalization of marijuana is slowly making its way from state to state, so I think the concern that the age of purchasing tobacco could be raised in Texas is valid.

According to a CNN article, “Forty-six U.S. states permit the sale of tobacco to anyone 18 or older, while Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah require customers to be at least 19. Dozens of cities and towns, including New York, have already raised the minimum legal age for tobacco purchases to 21."

It is really not a secret that smoking increases your risk of cancer and that it isn’t healthy for you.

“The legislation [in Hawaii} comes after a report last month from the Institute of Medicine that said barring people under age 21 from buying cigarettes would have significant public health benefits. Setting the minimum age at 21 nationwide would result in nearly a quarter-million fewer premature deaths and 50,000 fewer deaths from lung cancer among people born between 2000 and 2019, the report estimated,” according to a CNN article.

Will the age increase happen in Texas? We will have to wait and see.

#tobacco #1821 #cancer #smoking