Portland, Ore. – March 16, 2016 – The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, calls on Oregon’s lawmakers to join a growing national movement to protect kids from deadly tobacco addiction by raising the state’s age of sale for tobacco to 21. This policy has been passed by more than 135 cities nationwide, including Boston, New York City, San Francisco and today Chicago, and the state of Hawaii. A bill to raise the age of sale to 21 statewide in California is on its way to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk.
It’s estimated that 2,600 Oregon kids will become new daily smokers each year – or seven kids every day. If current smoking rates do not decline, 68,000 Oregon kids alive today will die prematurely from tobacco-related illnesses. Raising the age of sale is expected to have the biggest effect on teens aged 15-17, where the Institute of Medicine projects raising the national sale age to 21 will reduce the number of youth who start smoking by 25 percent.
“National data indicate that 95 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before age 21,” said ACS CAN Oregon Government Relations Director Luis Rodriguez. “Raising the age of tobacco sales will greatly reduce the number of kids who start smoking. Younger teens often get tobacco products from 18 year-old peers, so raising the age of sale will help address this peer-to-peer source of tobacco for kids.”
ACS CAN and its Tobacco 21 for Oregon coalition partners launched their statewide campaign during the 2016 legislative session. So far, 23 organizations have signed on in support. The coalition is ramping up efforts across the state, including petition blitzes and community events to gain support for legislation in 2017. In all, the coalition hopes to sign on 50 organizations and secure 5,000 petition signatures this year.
“ACS CAN Oregon applauds the city of Chicago for becoming the newest city to take a historic step toward a tobacco-free generation today, and we’re excited that California’s tobacco 21 bill is heading to Governor Brown’s desk,” said Rodriguez. “Now it’s Oregon’s turn to snuff Big Tobacco’s efforts to hook future generations on this deadly addiction.”
Increasing the age of sale for tobacco products to 21 is a promising step in strengthening Oregon’s tobacco laws and improving public health. To fully combat tobacco, this policy needs to be part of comprehensive tobacco-control efforts that include substantial, regular tobacco tax increases and fully funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs—two areas where Oregon trails other states.
Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in Oregon, and the stark fact is that one in three cancer deaths are caused by tobacco. Learn more about ACS CAN’s efforts to protect Oregon kids from tobacco at www.acscan.org/or.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.
