California’s T21 law seems to have had positive public health effects on 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students across California.
The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), reported that in 2021, only 1% of 7th and 9th graders and 2% of 11th graders reported smoking, which is defined as having smoked a cigarette on “one or more days” in the 30 days prior to the survey. The compiled data indicated that since 2015, smoking has declined by 50% among 7th graders, 75% among 9th graders, and 71.4% among 11th graders.
Moreover, vaping rates have also declined. The survey found that vaping rates peaked in 2015 with 7% of 7th graders, 13% of 9th graders, and 14% of 11th graders reporting having vaped in the 30 days prior to the survey. While in 2021, the rates reached an all time low with only 2% of 7th graders, 6% of 9th graders, and 10% of 11th graders reported current e-cigarette use.
California’s Tobacco 21 Law
Other data released earlier this year looking into the effects of California’s 2016 law, which raised the legal age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21 (T21), also reported positive trends. In 2016 California passed a regulation raising the tobacco sales age limit from 18 to 21. Conducted by the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, the study titled, “New research investigates the effects of California’s tobacco 21 minimum sales age law,” looked into the effects of this measure.
The compiled data indicated that the T21 law has had positive public health effects on 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students across the State. The findings were summarized on News-Medical as follows:
“Reduced prevalence of lifetime smokeless tobacco and e-cigarette use, and past month smokeless tobacco use in the overall student population.
Increases in prevalence of past month e-cigarette use.
Reductions in lifetime and past-30-day use of all tobacco and nicotine products among Latinx youth.
Differential, but positive public health effects for other racial and ethnic groups.”
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