Retail impact of raising tobacco sales age to 21 years.

Winickoff JP1, Hartman L, Chen ML, Gottlieb M, Nabi-Burza E, DiFranza JR.

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Abstract

The majority of tobacco use emerges in individuals before they reach 21 years of age, and many adult distributors of tobacco to youths are young adults aged between 18 and 20 years. Raising the tobacco sales minimum age to 21 years across the United States would decrease tobacco retailer and industry sales by approximately 2% but could contribute to a substantial reduction in the prevalence of youths' tobacco use and dependency by limiting access.