Tobacco use age may rise to 21
Louisiana would be first to pass bill
Jack LeBlanc
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: News
The youngest member of the state Legislature proposed a bill to raise the age of legal tobacco use from 18 to 21 years old.
If House Bill 240 passes in the 2008 Regular Session, it will be illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to buy or possess any tobacco products.
Walker Hines, D-New Orleans, said he proposed House Bill 240 to reduce health care costs for the state and prolong the lives of Louisiana residents.
Louisiana would be the first state to change the age to 21 if the bill passes.
The economic expenses associated with tobacco cost the state approximately $1.46 billion a year, and tobacco use causes one in five deaths in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Office of Public Health.
If passed, the bill would affect many future University students.
There are about 7,800 undergraduate students at the University who consider themselves smokers, according to a Smoking Words study. Smokers represent nearly 30 percent of the University undergraduate population.
Smokers represent 25 percent of the state's population, according to the Louisiana Office of Public Health.
Hines said the legislation will not be retroactive. People who are already 18 years old will not be affected by the law.
"This is not meant to scold current smokers," Hines said. "It is to prevent new smokers."
Hines said he kept the same wording and fines as the current law, but changed the age from 18 to 21. Eventually, he hopes to increase fines for underage tobacco use.
Buying tobacco when underage is now punishable by a fine of up to $50 for the first offense, up to $100 for the second offense, up to $250 for the third offense and up to $400 for any subsequent offense. Possession of tobacco by an underage person is punishable by a fine of up to $50 for each offense.
"This is not a cure all," Hines said. "It is the first step in fixing a long-term problem. This legislation is not targeting smokers. It targets their children and grandchildren."
If House Bill 240 passes in the 2008 Regular Session, it will be illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to buy or possess any tobacco products.
Walker Hines, D-New Orleans, said he proposed House Bill 240 to reduce health care costs for the state and prolong the lives of Louisiana residents.
Louisiana would be the first state to change the age to 21 if the bill passes.
The economic expenses associated with tobacco cost the state approximately $1.46 billion a year, and tobacco use causes one in five deaths in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Office of Public Health.
If passed, the bill would affect many future University students.
There are about 7,800 undergraduate students at the University who consider themselves smokers, according to a Smoking Words study. Smokers represent nearly 30 percent of the University undergraduate population.
Smokers represent 25 percent of the state's population, according to the Louisiana Office of Public Health.
Hines said the legislation will not be retroactive. People who are already 18 years old will not be affected by the law.
"This is not meant to scold current smokers," Hines said. "It is to prevent new smokers."
Hines said he kept the same wording and fines as the current law, but changed the age from 18 to 21. Eventually, he hopes to increase fines for underage tobacco use.
Buying tobacco when underage is now punishable by a fine of up to $50 for the first offense, up to $100 for the second offense, up to $250 for the third offense and up to $400 for any subsequent offense. Possession of tobacco by an underage person is punishable by a fine of up to $50 for each offense.
"This is not a cure all," Hines said. "It is the first step in fixing a long-term problem. This legislation is not targeting smokers. It targets their children and grandchildren."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Meg S.
posted 4/09/08 @ 5:01 PM CST
I'm a non-smoker, but I have to say that this law isn't going to prevent new smokers-- if anything, it will encourage them. If we've learned anything from our teenage years, it is this: if our parents, guardians, elders, or authority figures say something is wrong, then many, if not most, of us want to do it even more. (Continued…)
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