Gov. John Carney is supporting Senate Bill 25, a measure that would raise the legal age for sales of tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21.
Backers say tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disability in Delaware and the nation, claiming 1,400 lives in Delaware each year, according to federal data. Treatment of tobacco-related illnesses costs Delaware $532 million annually.
The act also bars parents or others from buying vaping or tobacco products for those under 21. Establishments making underage sales would face civil penalties.
Delaware has seen a decline in the percentage of smokers after the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act a decade and a half ago. The legislation banned smoking in most public settings and is credited with lowering one of the nation’s highest smoking rates.
Despite, predictions that the ban on smoking in public places would hurt the restaurant and bar business, the number of establishments and the economic impact of the industry has increased.
The act did have an impact on the state’s now-struggling casino industry since the percentage of gaming patrons who smoke is higher than the figure for the overall population.
More recently vaping products have begun to attract more and smokers under 21.
Seven states and more than 400 cities ban smoking and vaping products sales for those under drinking age.
“We know the dangers of tobacco use, and anything we can do to prevent more Delawareans from starting to smoke is a step in the right direction,” said Carney. “Raising the legal tobacco sales age from 18 to 21 will help reduce the number of young people who use tobacco products, and hopefully prevent more young people from trying tobacco products in the first place. Over time, we hope and expect this change will reduce the toll of tobacco-related illness. And it should curb the cost of treating those illnesses – costs that today are funded by all Delaware taxpayers, families, and businesses through higher health insurance rates and treatment programs. Thank you to members of the General Assembly who are committed to this effort, and to our health care community for your support.”
“Four out of five adult smokers became addicted, daily smokers before age 21. Raising the age to buy tobacco products would mean that fewer adults would develop a lifelong habit that carries life-shortening consequences,” said State Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown, the lead House sponsor. “Tobacco use costs Delaware more than $500 million each year in direct medical-related costs, but it costs families much more in terms of loved ones taken far too soon.”
Ninety-five percent of adults who smoke started before the age of 21, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The years of young adulthood between the ages of 18 and 21 are considered a critical period when many smokers transition from experimental smoking to regular, daily use of tobacco products.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that tobacco use costs Delaware $532 million each year in direct medical-related costs, with $95 million of that impact coming from Medicaid spending. An estimated 17,000 Delaware youth who are alive now, will die prematurely in the future from a smoking-related illness, according to federal data.
There is also a link between income levels and smoking, with people living in poverty or having lower education levels experiencing higher smoking and lung cancer rates. Lower-income smokers take a further hit from tobacco taxes.
“This measure is very important for the health of young adults in our state,” said state Sen. Anthony Delcollo, R-Elsmere. “I am proud to stand together for this bipartisan effort to limit the damaging effects of nicotine addiction and cancer in Delaware.”
The effort to lower the smoking age is expected to be opposed by the tobacco and vaping industry. The vaping industry claims that its product is safer than tobacco.
