By Richard J. Thoune
JACKSON, MI - Everyone knows that tobacco is a deadly product, that when used as directed, will kill you, usually through a long and painful process.
Most smokers (95 percent) have indicated they began smoking before age 21. The younger a person starts smoking, the greater his or her risk for adverse health outcomes, such as hospitalizations, and lifetime risks of respiratory disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
Michigan lawmakers can make an impact on our youth by enacting a new law to increase the legal sale age for all tobacco products and electronic products containing nicotine, the addictive component in tobacco, from 18 to 21.
This would help prevent young adults from becoming addicted to tobacco and preserve their freedom of health. The ages of 18 to 21 have been recognized as a critical period when many smokers are moving from the experimental stage into regular daily use.
More than 16,200 Michiganders die from tobacco use, and 10,300 Michigan children become new regular daily smokers each year. One-third of these kids will die prematurely because of this addiction.
In the article "Running the Numbers," Ohio State University College of Public Health authors identified 18 to 20 year olds as a major source of cigarettes for teenagers because of the close social circle of friends in high school. It is also a fact that an adolescent brain at the age of 18 is still vulnerable to neurological harm. Nicotine can affect brain development and result in heavier daytime consumption, a stronger addiction and more difficulty quitting later.
According to an Institute of Medicine report, 95 percent of adults begin smoking before age 21, and four out of five become regular daily smokers before age 21. Increasing the age at which young people first experiment with tobacco reduces the risk of nicotine addiction.
Institute of Medicine research also shows Tobacco 21 will save lives through a 25-percent decline in smoking initiation by 15 to 17 year olds, a 12-percent overall drop in smoking prevalence and 10-percent reduction of smoking-related deaths. In addition, because of decreased maternal and paternal smoking rates, fetal and infant health outcomes will improve. Estimates indicate a 12-percent decline in premature births and a 16-percent drop in premature deaths in infants.
According to the CDC, 75 percent of U.S. adults, including 70 percent of smokers, support raising the minimum age of legal access to all tobacco products to 21 years of age. Even a tobacco industry researcher stated in 1982, "If a man has never smoked by age 18, the odds are three to one he never will. By age 21, the odds are 20 to one."
Raising the legal sales age would also streamline the process for retailers and create a uniform check system for both alcohol and tobacco, which would make training and identification checks much easier for clerks. This is a win-win outcome for everyone.
Tobacco use costs Michigan $4.6 billion annually. Raising the age is likely to reduce tobacco use and lead to reduced healthcare costs.
We need to increase the odds that our youth and children will be free of tobacco addiction. Michigan could become the sixth state in the nation to enact such legislation joining Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Maine and Oregon, who have all taken steps to reduce the impact of tobacco on future generations.
We encourage Jackson County residents to communicate with our state legislators to let them know how you feel about raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21.
-- Richard J. Thoune is the health officer for the Jackson County Health Department, 1715 Lansing Ave. The mission of the department is to work together to create and promote a healthy community through disease prevention and control, health education, environmental protection, and emergency preparedness.