Lawmakers, cancer survivors and advocates seek to raise Mass. tobacco sale age to 21

By Valerie Sizhe Li  2018/03/29

A group of state legislators, cancer survivors and volunteers gathered at the Statehouse on March 28 for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS-CAN) 2018 Lobby Day.

Advocates and lawmakers hope to pass House bill 4109, an act to protect youth from the health risks of tobacco and nicotine addiction. The bill, which is sponsored by the Joint Committee on Public Health, passed the Senate with a bipartisan 32-2 vote in the last session. It is now before the House committee.

Rep. Jeff Roy, vice chair of House Committee on Healthcare Financing, joins the stage at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network 2018 Lobby Day in the Statehouse on March 28. (Image courtesy of Valerie LI.)

The Youth Tobacco Prevention Bill aims to raise the tobacco sale age to 21 in Massachusetts. It also includes prohibiting e-cigarette use in smoke-free workplaces and stopping pharmacies from selling tobacco.

“I was a smoker. I quit in my 30s but I started very young. It was acceptable and there was not anything particularly dangerous about it,” said Rep. Kate Hogan, co-chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Public Health. “So in later years, I smoked more and it integrated into my life. It became very difficult to quit. It would be so much easier if we can stop selling tobacco products to teenagers.”

“I see too many young kids who are smoking. There is so much information out there but I don’t understand why they do it,” said Carol Clark, a cancer survivor who is a state lead ambassador for ACS-CAN. “I find it very hard to comprehend if they would pick up smoking when there’s so much information telling you how bad it is for you.”

A group of students from Franklin High School presented a video project show their support for stricter tobacco laws statewide. In the video, many students voiced concerns about the popularity of vaping devices.

“Vaping is epidemic,” said Sen. Jason Lewis, co-chairman of the committee. “Our middle and high schoolers believe vaping is harmless. In fact, it gets them addicted to nicotine and all sort of other chemicals in those vaping products. This legislation makes it clear that e-cigarettes should be treated as the same way as tobacco products.”

“The fact is, 95 percent of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 21,” said Amber Herting, associate director of ACS-CAN. “So if we can take that option off the table, it is less likely they will start smoking at a young age, and that’s very important to us because one-third of cancer diagnoses in the country can be attributed to tobacco use.”