A proposal in New York City would raise the legal age to buy cigarettes to 21, but some aren't convinced that it will drive down teen smoking rates.
By Amir Khan, Everyday Health Staff Writer
TUESDAY, April 23, 2013 As New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets ready to leave office later this year, mayoral front runner and City Council speaker Christine Quinn, a Democrat, is making a name for herself herself as she vies to follow in Bloomberg's footsteps.
A new anti-smoking proposal by Quinn and NYC health commissioner Thomas A. Farley, MD has what some may consider a Bloomberg-like tone: Quinn wants to raise the legal age to buy cigarettes in New York City to 21 which, if it becomes law, would make it the the strictest age limit for cigarette purchasing of any major American city.
"That will literally save lives," Quinn said at a press conference. "The more difficult it is for (young people) to gain access to tobacco products, the less likely they are to start smoking."
Making it difficult for New Yorkers to purchase cigarettes wouldnt be anything new for the city, which already has some of the highest cigarette prices in the country due to high tax rates and is currently considering a proposal by Mayor Bloomberg to keep cigarettes out of sight in stores.
But will raising the legal age for buying tobacco cut smoking rates? Four states Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah have raised the legal tobacco-buying age from 18 to 19, but the results have been mixed. Between 19 percent and 21.9 percent of people in Alaska and Alabama still smoked in 2010 among the highest smoking rates in the country, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New Jerseys smoking rate is the same as New Yorks, between 13 and 15.9 percent, and Utahs smoking rate is between 9.1 and 12.9 percent, one of the lowest in the country.
The only place in the United States where you have to be 21 to buy cigarettes is Needham, Mass., where the smoking rate dropped from 13 percent in 2006, when the law took effect, to 5.5 percent in 2012, according to the Associated Press, though it is unclear if the age increase is the reason for the drop. The Boston suburb of Canton agreed to raise the legal tobacco-buying age to 21 this month, but the law has not yet gone into effect.
New York City officials said that raising the smoking age likely wont have an immediate effect, but years down the line, could result in a major decrease in smoking rates. Based on a statistical model published in the journal Health Policy, Quinn and other city council members said that raising the legal tobacco buying age to 21 nationwide could cut smoking rates by two-thirds among 14- to 17-year-olds, and cut the rate by half among 18- to 20-year-olds over the next 50 years.
"The point here is to really address where smoking begins," Quinn said at the press conference.
Do 'Nanny State' Laws Keep Teens From Smoking?
Susan Kuczmarski, Ed.D., parenting expert and author of the book The Sacred Flight of the Teenager: A Parents Guide to Stepping Back and Letting Go, believes raising the smoking age will only result in having older smokers buy cigarettes for younger smokers.
This will take the form or an older sibling, older friend, or older relative, said Kuczmarski. They will send one of these individuals in to purchase cigarettes in a second.
Using government intervention to curb teen smoking is not the best way to do so, she added.
The government is acting like a heavy-handed parent and it just does not work with teens, she said. A strong disciplinary approach overlooks the need for growth and exploration during the teen years. Government intervention acts like the strong disciplinarian and it won't work.
Instead, Kuczmarski believes its more important for parents to educate their children about the dangers of smoking.
Many parents are caught unaware by the possibility of their teens smoking, she said. By the time your child is 10, have your points of view ready and shared.
Sharing your own experiences with tobacco can help you relate to your child and hopefully steer them away from ever picking up a cigarette, she added.
If a parent smoked in the past, share the frustration and utter difficulty of trying to stop. Be honest about your youth and poor decisions, Kuczmarski said. Of course, if you abstained through your teen years, you're in a perfect position to give your kids advice on how you said no, so they can too.
A New York City Council hearing for Quinn's anti-smoking proposal is set for May 2.
You might soon have to be 21 years old to buy cigarettes in New York City. The NYC city council announced the idea Monday. Supporters of the bill say
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NYC Proposal to Stop Teen Smoking: No Cigarettes Till You're 21 A proposal in New York City would raise the legal age to buy cigarettes to 21, but some aren't
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some people also say that its bad to have alcohol if you're under 21 because your brain is why can you buy cigarettes at 18, but not alcohol until 21?
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and you're ok with cigarettes are bad, but unless you're banning them altogether or making but they can't smoke until 21? There's no sense
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