In response to a recent American Lung Association (ALA) report card that gave the state of Maine mixed reviews for its anti-smoking efforts, Rep. Les Fossel (R-Alna) has proposed raising the legal age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21.
“Overwhelming evidence points to addiction starting before 21,” said Fossel. “If we can keep young people away from tobacco until then, well you never know.”
The proposal is an effort to curb tobacco use without raising taxes he said and provide “additional” roadblocks for young people looking to purchase tobacco products. In the ALA report, Maine is given an A for its efforts to protect people from secondhand smoke but is taken to task for a marked increase in youth smoking after years of decline.
The report attributes the “creative” recruitment strategies of the tobacco industry as a cause but urged the state to step up its efforts to curb underage smoking. Maine is the only state to ever receive straight A’s in the annual report card and the mixed reviews are “troubling” said Fossel.
The ALA proposes raising the tobacco tax in Maine by $1.50 calling it the most “rapid” and “effective” strategy to motivate smokers to quit. Fossel, however, disagrees and argues that a tax hike will create a subculture of “rich” tobacco addicts and force low-income users to forgo basic necessities for their addiction.
“To say you can only smoke if you’re a rich adult is wrong,” he said. “People will finance their addictions at the expense of food, child care, and sometimes the law.”
Currently Maine state tobacco taxes go into a general fund and a higher tobacco tax would make the state a “pusher” on par with drug dealers, said Fossel. He sees an increase in the legal age as a solid deterrent, citing the raising of the drinking age to 21 as an example.
Ed Miller, Vice President of Health Promotion and Public Policy for ALA of New England, applauds the “provocative” tack Fossel is chartering but said it could be a difficult sell.
“The established age of maturity is 18 for a myriad of rights, which is one problem with the concept, but I wouldn’t dismiss the idea entirely however,” said Miller.
Miller said the ALA has been exploring legislation to raise the minimum age to 19, arguing that most young adults have graduated by then. Fossel, a member of the Health and Human Services committee, readily acknowledged the novelty of his idea but feels confident in its premise.
“I think it will create a dialogue,” said Fossel. “Hopefully it can be one way toward a straight-line projection toward ending this.”
