Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in America and causes about 30% of all cancer deaths.
That’s why researchers with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center wanted to study the impact of a California law passed in 2016 that raised the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21.
Their new study published in Preventive Medicine examines smoking behavior after the state implemented one of the first tobacco 21 (T21) policies.
The study, conducted by UC Davis researchers Melanie Dove, Susan Stewart and Elisa Tong, looked at smoking patterns before and after the law passed and compared California and other states without a T21 policy. The data was from the 2012-2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Most adult tobacco users start smoking cigarettes before the age of 18, when the brain is still developing and is especially susceptible to nicotine and addiction. The new T21 law has the potential, over time, of dramatically reducing the number of youth who begin smoking regularly and that’s why it is important to track the impact.”
Melanie Dove, Study Lead Author and Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Health Policy and Management, University of California – Davis Health
Emily Henderson – News Medical Life Sciences – 2021-04-26.
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