Raising the legal smoking age
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-Turning 18 is a right of passage. You’re now an adult in the eyes of the law. You can vote, join the military and here in Warren County you can buy cigarettes.
Several states including California and Hawaii have already raised the legal age to buy tobacco products to 21, and others could soon follow.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nearly 9 out of 10 smokers first tried smoking by age 18. In 2015 the Institute of Medicine concluded that raising the tobacco sale age to 21 will significantly reduce the number of adolescents and young adults who start smoking.
The manager at Smoke in Glass at Bowling Green didn’t want to be identified by name, but says it wouldn’t be good for business.
He said, “It would be very very bad for for business, not good at all, our sales would not be good. I really wouldn’t want it to happen.”
Kentucky Youth Advocates and The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky are both advocates for increasing the legal age to purchase tobacco and tobacco products in the state.
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky told WNKY that pushing legislation to raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco is not possible at this time. It is a measure they would like to seek out in the future, as more cities and states are raising the legal age. No cities in Kentucky have raised the legal age to 21 at this time.
