Increasing the “Smoking Age”: The Right Thing to Do

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and the goal of comprehensive tobacco control is to reduce its harm to society. Helping smokers quit is insufficient-it is also critical to prevent young people from ever taking a puff on that first cigarette. Toward this aim, New York City has proposed to increase the legal age of sale for tobacco products from 18 to 21 years and to make it illegal for merchants to sell tobacco to persons younger than 21 years.