Case for raising the minimum legal age of tobacco sale to 25.

Tob Control

Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Published: May 2022

AI Article Synopsis

  • Restricting youth access to tobacco is crucial for effective tobacco control, with ongoing debates about increasing the minimum legal age (MLA) from 18 to 25.
  • Supporters of MLA25 argue that neurobiological research indicates individuals under 25 are more susceptible to addiction, thus warranting stricter regulations.
  • The policy could impact young adults' decisions about smoking initiation and cessation, along with public health outcomes, especially since many underage smokers obtain cigarettes from older friends.

Article Abstract

Restricting youth access to tobacco is an essential component of a comprehensive tobacco control policy. While there has been a growing movement to raise the minimum legal age (MLA) of purchasing tobacco from 18 to 21, more restrictive measures, such as raising the MLA to 25 (MLA25), have been criticised as being overly restrictive on adult's free choice. We argue that, even within a policy approach that prioritises freedom of choice, there is a strong case for MLA25 in view of neurobiological evidence which shows that, before age 25, people are neurobiologically vulnerable to developing an addiction. We discuss further considerations for an MLA25 policy, in particular its potential impact on the free choice of young adults to start or quit smoking, potential public health impact and potential effectiveness considering that most underage youth source cigarettes from older peers.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055964DOI Listing

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