WASHINGTON, D.C. – CityHealth, an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, congratulates Denver city leaders today on passing Tobacco 21, a law which raises the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21. Experts have found that policies increasing the minimum legal age for the sale of tobacco products helps to decrease initiation rates among youth and young adults. Research shows that this delay or reduction in initiation also has an overall impact on smoking prevalence.
“CityHealth applauds Denver leaders doing the right thing for children and families by passing Tobacco 21,” said Shelley Hearne, DrPH, President of CityHealth. “Smoking tobacco remains the single most preventable cause of death and disease in America. The evidence has long been clear that raising the tobacco sales age to 21 saves lives and delays smoking initiation at a key time for kids, making it far less likely that they will ever start. Now, new facts are emerging about the grave dangers of e-cigarettes, showing it’s even more urgent for officials to do everything they can to protect youth.”
“We want to thank our partners at Healthier Colorado, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the American Heart Association, and all of the local advocates for their work on this important measure. Their dedication and ongoing fight to protect and promote the health of all children in the city of Denver helped to get this measure over the finish line.”
CityHealth provides leaders with a package of nine evidence-based policy solutions that have the potential to help millions of people live longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities. CityHealth awards gold, silver, bronze, or no medals annually in each of the nine CityHealth policies to the nation’s largest 40 cities, based on the quantity and quality of their policies. One of these policy solutions is Tobacco 21.
According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, 18 states – Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington – have raised the tobacco age to 21, along with Washington, D.C. and at least 500 localities.
About CityHealth
CityHealth, an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, advances a package of evidence-based policy solutions that will help millions of people live longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities. CityHealth regularly evaluates cities on the number and strength of their policies. www.cityhealth.org
CONTACT Liz Voyles, liz@www.cityhealth.org, 202-297-9641
