Tobacco 21+ Only: Lake County Becomes First In State To Raise Minimum Age

The Lake County Board voted Tuesday to ban the sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products to those under the age of 21. The ordinance is set to take effect in 2018 and would make the county the first in the state to raise the age to buy tobacco. The ordinance only applies in unincorporated areas.

The move comes less than a year after Highland Park became the first city in the county to enact such a law. Evanston was the first of the 11 municipalities in the state to have implemented an ordinance forbidding 18- to 21-year-olds from buying cigarettes. They include several others in Lake County, including Deerfield, Lincolnshire, Vernon Hills and Buffalo Grove.

“This is a major milestone in our efforts to prevent tobacco use among our youth,” said Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister. “We hope that this action will inspire other communities, counties, and our state to take action to prevent youth smoking, improve health and save the lives of our future generations.”

Pfister said more than 6,300 youth in Illinois begin a habit of daily smoking, which is "detrimental to their health and well-being.”

Of the 21 commissioners on the board, only two — Tom Weber and Michael Danforth — opposed the ordinance, the Lake County News-Sun reported. Danforth said he understood the board had good intentions, but he noted those between the ages of 18 and 21 are "not youths."

"They are young adults. They can vote. They can go to war. They can bleed. They can die for you and me," he said.

Because 95 percent of current adult smokers began smoking before the age of 21, public health officials argue politics raising the minimum age to buy tobacco delay the onset of smoking by putting a bit more distance between high school students and those who can legally purchase cigarettes.

Instead of high school seniors providing access and potential peer pressure to their younger counterparts, older teens would need to find someone 21 or over to purchase tobacco just as they do with alcohol. The Lake County Health Department cited a 2015 report by the Institute of Medicine that found raising the tobacco age to 21 lowers the rate of kids between ages 15-17 who start smoking by 25 percent.

Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor, who told the News-Sun he started smoking via an 18-year-old when he was in high school, said the ordinance demonstrate's the county's "commitment to leading the state and nation on the critical issues related to behavioral health.

"Whether it’s mental health challenges, opioids, or tobacco," he said. "We have a responsibility to deliver science-based and proven solutions that help people stay healthy."

The Lake County Health Department’s Tobacco Free Lake County program offers education and technical assistance to municipalities considering Tobacco 21 policies.

For more information about tobacco sales restrictions and regulations, please contact Tobacco Free Lake County at (847) 377-8090.

_{Top photo via Pixabay}