State legislators consider raising the legal smoking age from 18 to 21
Jump to full article: Eugene (OR) Register-Guard, 2009-04-02
Author: David Steves and Whitney Malkin The Register-Guard
Intro: Oregon would be the first state in the nation to ban tobacco possession among those younger than 21 under a bill taken up Wednesday by a legislative committee.
House Bill 2974 would increase from 18 to 21 the age at which it would be legal to buy, smoke, chew or otherwise possess tobacco products. It was heard by the House Human Services Committee, where bill sponsor and state Rep. Betty Komp, D-Woodburn, said it would have the effect of deterring smoking among teenagers.
She said it would be harder for young people to pass themselves off as 21 than as 18-year-olds, and that younger teens and preteens probably would put off thinking about smoking if the age limit was raised.
According to the American Lung Association, more than 4.5 million U.S. adolescents smoke cigarettes. Among smokers of all ages, 90 percent started before turning 21.
Komp said she is eager for Oregon to chart new territory, setting a higher age limit than 19 -- currently the strictest in some states -- when it comes to tobacco possession.
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