Moving forward with #tobacco21 legislation will have a big impact on reducing youth #tobacco use: ATS #Tobacco Action Committee

Hasmeena Kathuria, MD, is an associate professor in pulmonary medicine at Boston University Medical School, and the director of the Tobacco treatment Center at Boston Medical Center. She is the vice chair for the ATS Tobacco Action Committee.

Michelle Eakin, PhD, is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, and the co-director of the Johns Hopkins Adherence Research Center. She is the chair of the ATS Tobacco Action Committee.

The number of states raising the tobacco purchasing age to 21 is growing. The American Thoracic Society strongly supports Tobacco 21 legislation. However, to effectively combat tobacco use in the U.S., a multi-pronged approach that includes a ban on all characterizing flavors in all tobacco products – including menthol –must be adopted.

Key Messages:

• We are witnessing an alarming increase in uptake of e-cigarette use by our nation’s youth. 
• Raising the legal purchase for all tobacco products to 21 years of age is one important step to reduce youth access to all tobacco products. 
• We strongly support the bipartisan compromise to raise the legal purchase age for all tobacco products to 21 years nationwide.
• Moving forward with Tobacco 21 legislation will help reduce youth initiation by limiting access to tobacco products which will reduce disease and death caused by tobacco.

 “While there are other important actions Congress and the FDA must take to address tobacco, including regulation of flavors and effective regulation of e-cigarettes, moving forward with Tobacco 21 legislation will have a big impact on reducing youth tobacco use,” said Dr. Michele Eakin, chair of the ATS Tobacco Action Committee.

To schedule an interview with our experts, contact Dacia Morris at [email protected].

7/2019