Indiana Looking to Raise Age to Purchase Tobacco to 21

Last updated on Tuesday, January 30, 2018

(INDIANAPOLIS) - An anti-smoking bill before state lawmakers will raise the legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21.

If the bill passes it will take affect this summer. Indiana would be the sixth state to set the higher limit.

The measure was part of a bill to also raise the cigarette tax, but that provision was taken out with many lawmakers saying that should be saved for a budget year.

A House committee has unanimously endorsed raising the legal smoking age to 21.

DoSomething.org, a global movement of 5.5 million young people making positive change, provided the following facts:

90 percent of smokers began before the age 19.
Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
About 1.69 billion pounds of butts end up as toxic trash each year, making cigarettes the most littered item on Earth.
About 30% of teen smokers will continue smoking and die early from a smoking-related disease.
Teen smokers are more likely to have panic attacks, anxiety disorders and depression.
Studies have found that nearly all first use of tobacco takes place before high school graduation.
Approximately 1.5 million packs of cigarettes are purchased for minors annually. In 2016, 53,566 pharmacies still sell tobacco.
On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.
According to the Surgeon General, teenagers who smoke are 3 times more likely to use alcohol, 8 times more likely to smoke marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine.

In fact, hookah smoke has been shown to contain concentrations of toxins, such as carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar, and heavy metals, that are as high, or higher, than those that are seen with cigarette smoke.

Cigarette smokers are also more likely to get into fights, carry weapons, attempt suicide, suffer from mental health problems such as depression, and engage in high-risk sexual behaviors.

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