Question Title

* 1. Raising the minimum legal sale age for tobacco products to 21 in the North Country is essential because:
  • The percentage of adult cigarette smokers in each county in the North Country exceeds the US and New York State percentages (New York State Department of Health NYSDOH);
  • The percentage of North Country young adults (18 to 24) who smoke cigarettes exceeds the US and New York State percentages (NYSDOH);
  • More than a quarter of North Country males age 18 to 24 smoke cigarettes (NYSDOH);
  • Approximately 96% of smokers begin smoking before the age of 21 (Surgeon General);
  • Smokers frequently transition from experimentation to addiction between the ages of 18 and 21 (Surgeon General);
  • The younger the age of initiation, the greater the risk of nicotine addiction, heavy daily smoking and difficulty quitting (Institute of Medicine);
  • Electronic smoking device use among minors has recently tripled (Centers for Disease Control) and use of electronic smoking devices is associated with and may encourage the use of conventional tobacco products (JAMA Pediatrics);
  • Raising the minimum legal sale for tobacco products to 21 years of age would decrease tobacco use by 12% (Institute of Medicine);
  • Three of the top five leading causes of premature death in the North Country are cancer, heart disease and chronic lower respiratory diseases – all closely associated with tobacco use. Between 2012 and 2014, these causes of death resulted in a total of 2,039 premature deaths in the North Country (NYSDOH);
  • Albany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Cortland, Essex, Nassau, Onondaga, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Schenectady, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tompkins, Ulster, and Westchester counties and New York City have increased the minimum legal sale age for tobacco products to 21; and
  • There is strong support among New Yorkers for prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to people younger than 21 - 68% of adults and 60% of adult smokers who were surveyed support raising the minimum legal sale age (NYSDOH).

To improve the health of all communities in the North Country, the undersigned organization supports raising the minimum legal sale age for tobacco products to 21 years of age in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Warren and Washington counties.

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