CALC Letter Urges Congress to Raise Tobacco Age to 21
/On August 19, members of the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition (CALC) sent this letter to leadership on Capitol Hill, urging Congress to support raising the national minimum legal sale age (MLSA) for all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to 21 years.
By restricting young peoples’ access to these harmful products, raising the MLSA of tobacco products to 21 is one of many important actions that can help to protect all children from tobacco addiction, second-hand smoke exposure, and their associated negative health consequences.
This year, bipartisan members of Congress have made this issue a priority. The letter praises provisions included in the bipartisan compromise that was recently reported out of the Senate HELP Committee as part of the Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895), Senators Schatz’s and Young’s Tobacco to 21 Act (S. 1258), Representative DeGette’s companion bill in the House (H.R. 2411), and Representative Pallone’s Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act (H.R. 2339). These proposals take bold action to reduce tobacco use among youth and young adults. The letter urges Congress to enact similarly strong legislation this year.
