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ASTHMA &
ALLERGIES

Why should we support Tobacco 21? We must act locally, very locally. Raise awareness about the ordi-
In a 2015 report published by the Institute of Medicine, ex- nance and educate yourself about it. Learn about the harmful ef-
perts concluded that raising the minimum tobacco purchasing fects of smoking and inform your family and friends. Smoking is a
age to 21 would decrease the amount of people initiating tobacco widely studied subject and there are many resources to use to learn
use by 25% in 15- to 17-year-olds and by 15% in 18- to 20-year- more about the general Tobacco 21 movement. This website is a
olds nationwide. Raising the minimum tobacco purchasing age good place to start: https://tobacco21.org/t21-toolkit/
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to 21 would be an effective way to decrease the initiation of to- We must make our voice heard and advocate. Talk with your Fed-
bacco use in adolescents. 7 eral representatives. Write to your Federal representatives. Write a
Tobacco 21 is addressing the smoking rate from the correct resolution or testimony in support of Tobacco 21. There are many
angle. Young adults have a higher probability of getting addicted opportunities for you to be a part of this movement and advocate
compared to someone that smokes later in life. Damaging health for a healthier Texas.
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effects are seen in youth that smoke: early cardiovascular injury, For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people
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reduction of lung function, retardation of lung growth, and pre- live with a serious smoking-related illness. Smoking has a strong
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mature death. Tobacco contains harmful substances such as influence and causes a significant amount of damage but it does
benzo[a]prene, nitrosamine, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have one particular weakness: the deaths it causes are 100% pre-
which are considered carcinogens associated with the development ventable. Join the movement and be a part of the effort to halt use-
of bronchogenic carcinoma. Therefore, is imperative that we less suffering.
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enact policy to decrease tobacco use in young adults specifically.
If we are successful at preventing young adults from using to- References:
bacco, the negative health effects can be avoided. The anticipated 1. CDC Fast Facts and Fact Sheets. (2017, February 09). Retrieved March 1, 2018,
from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/index.htm
outcome is that the amount of tobacco users will decrease by 12%
and tobacco related deaths by 10%. 8 2. Bunn, W. B., Stave, G. M., Downs, K. E., Alvir, J. M., & Dirani, R. (2006). Effect
of Smoking Status on Productivity Loss. Journal of Occupational and Envi-
ronmental Medicine, 48(10), 1099-1108.
Any opposing opinions? doi:10.1097/01.jom.0000243406.08419.74
Even though the ordinance is very promising and will benefit the 3. Johnson, K. (n.d.). Should San Antonio Raise The Minimum Age To Buy To-
city immensely, there are arguments against the ordinance. San An- bacco Products? Retrieved March 1, 2018, from http://tpr.org/post/should-
tonio grocers fear customers will choose to buy groceries at stores san-antonio-raise-minimum-age-buy-tobacco-products
that can legally sell them tobacco, decreasing their own personal 4. US Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use
Among Youth and Young Adults. Retrieved March 1, 2018, from
sales. In August, Dr. Bridger encouraged other local municipalities https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/preventing-youth-tobacco-
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to pass similar ordinances in order to create a level playing field with use/factsheet.html
other local businesses. This has created much contention between 5. Steinberg, M. B., & Delnevo, C. D. (2013, October 15). Increasing the "Smoking
6
the two groups for and against the ordinance. While discussions Age": The Right Thing to Do. Annals of Internal Medicine. Retrieved March
are ongoing, no other municipalities have signed on to the effort at 1, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5726390/
this time. 6. Zielinski, A. Legal Age to Buy Tobacco in San Antonio Raised to 21. Retrieved
March 1, 2018, from https://www.sacurrent.com/the-
Some people worry that the state will suffer a decrease in tax rev-
enue due to the lack of tobacco sales to customers between the ages daily/archives/2018/01/11/legal-age-to-buy-tobacco-in-san-antonio-raised-to-21
7. Institute of Medicine. 2015. Public Health Implications of Raising the Mini-
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of 18 and 20. This perspective fails to realize the impact of the mum Age of Legal Access to Tobacco Products. Washington, DC: The National
new law in the context of the overall effects of reducing tobacco Academies Press. http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Re-
usage. Winickoff et al. found that the number of cigarettes pur- port%20Files/2015/TobaccoMinAge/tobacco_minimum_age_report_brief.pd
chased by 18 to 20-year-old smokers is only about 2% of total cig- f
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arette sales in the United States. Since it may take years before we 8. US Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use
see the effects of the new law, there should be adequate time for Among Youth and Young Adults. Retrieved March 1, 2018, from
https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/preventing-youth-tobacco-
businesses to adjust to the new market conditions. Also, since the use/factsheet.html
law may be adopted by other cities in Texas in the future, the con- 9. Harmful Chemicals in Tobacco Products. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from
cern about competition or unfair trade practices should decrease. 11 https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/tobacco-and-cancer/carcino-
gens-found-in-tobacco-products.html
A call to action. 10. Steinberg, M. B., & Delnevo, C. D. (2013, October 15). Increasing the "Smoking
As a medical student, I think that this ordinance is definitely Age": The Right Thing to Do. Annals of Internal Medicine. Retrieved March
3, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5726390/
something that San Antonio should be proud of. This ordinance 11. Winickoff, J. P., Hartman, L., Chen, M. L., Gottlieb, M., Nabi-Burza, E., &
has the potential to improve and save many lives. The problem of DiFranza, J. R. (2014). Retail Impact of Raising Tobacco Sales Age to 21 Years.
smoking prevention is complex but there are simple steps we can American Journal of Public Health, 104(11), e18–e21.
all take to help prevent one of the most common killers. There is http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302174
no better time than now to join the movement, but how? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202948/