April 25, 2017
House Bill 435 was introduced in the North Carolina House in March to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from age 18 to 21. This Bill is being considered this week for passage out of the House and sent to the Senate for consideration. Use the link below to find the contact information for your State Representative:
The clock runs out Thursday, April 27th. If it does not leave the House it will not be considered again until 2018.
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=House
Sincerely,
The Madvapes Team
The bill reads:
HB 435 - Raise Minimum Age to Access Tobacco Products
Has been filed and is available for co-sponsorship.
Primary sponsors: Reps. Greg Murphy, Bert Jones, Donny Lambeth, and Holly Grange
Raising the minimum legal sale age for tobacco products to 21 is a very promising strategy to save lives, and save billions of dollars in healthcare expenses each year. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S., and its estimated cost is as much as $170 billion annually in healthcare expenses... including large amounts of tax dollars.
Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the addictive effects of nicotine, and the data shows that about 95% of adult smokers began smoking prior to age 21. Also, older adolescents are a major source of tobacco products to underage youth. This bill would virtually take access to tobacco products out of the high schools.
Some would argue that 18 year olds can be drafted into the military and thus should have the privilege of purchasing tobacco. While the sponsors do not necessarily agree with that logic, there is an exemption given to anyone in active military service.
Also, the increase in the age limit from 18 to 21 is gradual, such that anyone who ever had the privilege of purchasing tobacco products would not lose that privilege.
Well over 200 localities in the U.S. have raised the age limit from 21. It would be great if North Carolina, with our proud tobacco heritage, could be a national leader in recognizing the huge health benefits and cost savings associated with raising the age limit. Our tobacco companies have spent a lot of money to discourage underage youth from smoking. We hope they will join with us in support of this effort.
We ask for your co-sponsorship of this bill that will save a lot of tax dollars, and more importantly will improve people's health and save lives.