All hail the Nanny State!

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), joined by seven other Senators, introduced the Tobacco to 21 Act (S.2100), legislation that would prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.

“We know that the earlier smokers begin their unhealthy addiction to nicotine, the more likely they are to suffer from tobacco-related diseases or die,” said Senator Schatz. “This year, Hawai‘i became the first state in the nation to raise the minimum smoking age to 21. It was an historic public health achievement that we should adopt nationwide. By raising the minimum tobacco age of sale to 21 across the country, we can cut the number of new smokers each year; build a healthier, tobacco free America; and save lives.”

“Thanks to tobacco control measures like banning smoking in public places and placing warning labels on cigarette cartons, far fewer people smoke now than did fifty years ago,” said Senator Durbin. “As a result, far fewer families have lost loved ones to tobacco-related disease and death. But we still have a long way to go. We can help prevent a new generation from falling prey to this deadly epidemic by passing another commonsense measure to reduce youth tobacco use: raising the minimum tobacco age of sale to 21.”

“The harder it is for children and teenagers to get their hands on tobacco products, the easier it will be to keep our next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine,” said Senator Brown. “Our country has come a long way on tobacco products – we’ve banned the marketing of cigarettes to children, we’ve prohibited the sale to minors, and we’ve helped people find ways to quit once they are hooked – but we need to do more to keep people from becoming addicted in the first place. I’m pleased that communities in Ohio are leading the way by raising the minimum age for tobacco sales to 21. We should follow their lead and continue these efforts until smoking is no longer the leading cause of preventable and premature death in the U.S.”