‘Tobacco 21’ laws will save many lives, researchers say

Boston — A 2020 federal law that raised the age for purchasing tobacco products in the United States to 21 could save twice as many lives as previously believed, new research is showing.

Yale University researchers representing the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network Lung Working Group looked at the impact of enforcement of federal, state and local Tobacco 21 laws. Prior to 2020, the legal purchasing age had been 18.

The result? Together, all three levels of enforcement could help prevent 526,000 premature deaths by 2100, researchers say. That far exceeds the 249,000 estimated in a 2015 report from the National Academy of Medicine.

The Yale modeling study, unlike the NAM report, incorporated comprehensive state data on smoking patterns, deaths and T21 policy implementation across the country. Yale researchers also used simulation models for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Because smoking behaviors can take years to change, the researchers focused their study on the long-term impact of premature deaths. “Local communities and states that pushed for Tobacco 21 policies early on reap those benefits down the road,” said Dr. Jamie Tam, assistant professor of public health (health policy) at the Yale School of Public Health.

The research was published in the journal JAMA Health Forum on Dec. 20, the five-year anniversary of the United States raising its tobacco purchase age to 21.