increasing the legal age to access tobacco products - an introduction - presented by: melitta a....
TRANSCRIPT
Increasing the Legal Age to Access Tobacco
Products - An Introduction -
Presented by: Melitta A. Johnson, MHA, August 7, 2015
Smoking and Tobacco Use
• Progress has been made since the 1st Surgeon General’s Report in 1964• The rate of tobacco use has declined from 42% in 1964
to 18% today
• Yet, tobacco use is the #1 leading cause of preventable deathsHalf of those who smoke die of smoking-related
illnesses
• Nearly 500,000 deaths are attributed to tobacco-related causes
• Yet, 42 million American adults and about 3 million middle and high school students continue to smoke
Tobacco Use Typically Begins at an Early age
• Of the adults who smoke daily• Approximately 90% of adult smokers report
smoking prior to the age of 18• Nearly 100% of smokers report smoking prior to
the age of 26
• Increasing legal age will likely prevent or delay initiation of tobacco use by adolescents and young adults
Smoking Causes More Deaths
Smoking kills
Smoking
HIV
Illegal drug use
Alcohol use
FirearmsMotor
vehicle accidents
Smoking in the U.S.
Smoking in LA County
Male
Female
16.4%
10.0%
% Smoking by Gender
18-24
30-39
50-59
65 or over
9.7%20.3%
16.0%13.1%
14.5%8.4%
7.6%
% Smoking by Age Group
Less than _x000d_high school
High school
Some college or _x000d_trade school
College or post_x000d_ graduate degree
11.6%
17.0%
14.2%
10.0%
% Smoking by Level of Education
Latino
White
African American
Asian
American Indian /_x000d_Alaskan Native
11.9%
15.2%
17.2%
9.2%
29.5%
% Smoking by Ethnicity
The Cost of Smoking and Tobacco Use
Tobacco industry
$9.17 billion U.S.$300 Billion
How Smoking and Tobacco Use Effect the Body
Why Do People Smoke?
Cancer
Lung diseas
e
Heart diseas
e
Fertility issues
Diabetes
• Social pressures• Social rewards• Parental/family
influence• Marketing• Stress relief• Addiction
Food and Drug Administration and Institutes of Medicine Committee
• In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act granted the FDA authority over tobacco products
• In March 2015, the Institutes of Medicine concluded that raising the legal age to access tobacco products will have positive impact on public health and save lives.
Public Health Implication of Raising Legal Age of
Smoking• Institutes of Medicine identified some
predictors of public health outcomes. They include:• Tobacco use initiation• Developmental biology and psychology• Tobacco policy
Prefrontal Cortex and the Adolescent Brain
• Prefrontal cortex: The part of the brain for • Decision-making• Impulse control• Sensation-seeking• Peer pressure susceptibility• Emotion control
• The prefrontal cortex fully develops after adolescence
• Tobacco initiation primarily effects adolescents and young adults because their ability to make sound decisions & control peer pressure influences has not yet fully developed
How Do We Reduce Tobacco Use Initiation Rates?
1. Continued tobacco cessation efforts at the city, county and state level
2. Increasing advertisements that discourage tobacco use
3. Partnerships with cancer societies
4. Raising the legal age to access tobacco products from 18 to 21• Adolescents 15-17 years of age will be most
impacted by an increase in the legal age• The majority of underage users rely friends that are over 18 to
obtain tobacco products (i.e. other high school students/peers)
Tobacco Policy
• State and local municipalities have the power to control the legal age for tobacco use
• Hawaii became the first state to increase the minimum age from 18 to 21 (effective January 2016).
• At least 80 localities in 8 states have already increased minimum legal smoking age, including New York City
Conclusion
• Raising the legal age for tobacco use will save lives by:• Reducing the rate of initiation• Reducing the number of tobacco users
• State and local governments have the power and authority to increase the legal age to access tobacco products
• The public health impact will depend on state and local initiatives that lead to smoking cessation
Philip Morris
• “Raising the legal minimum age for cigarette purchaser to 21 could gut our key young adult market (17-20) where we sell about 25 billion cigarettes and enjoy a 70 percent market share.”
- Philip Morris report, January 21, 1986