1.0 Policy Package

Tobacco 21

Preventing tobacco use has already had a dramatic effect on our country, yet smoking tobacco remains the single most preventable cause of death and disease.

Policies that raise the minimum legal age for the sale of tobacco products to 21 can reduce the number of young people – even those younger than 21 – using these products, which greatly reduces their risk for addiction, disease, and premature death.

Our assessment of Tobacco 21 policies includes information about city-specific laws, along with the relevant county- and state-level laws that affect them.

This cross-sectional dataset displays laws valid through February 1, 2020.

Measuring big cities’ Tobacco 21 policies

How did we award Tobacco 21 policy medals?Gold medalGold Medal
Must set the minimum legal sale age of tobacco products to 21Required for this Medal
The age restriction explicitly applies to all tobacco products, including e-cigarette and vapor productsRequired for this Medal

Data Deep Dive

Data were created and maintained by the Center for Public Health Law Research.