Know the legal age to buy tobacco products in the U.S.? Many parents don’t

A majority of surveyed parents didn’t know a person must be 21 to purchase tobacco products in the United States.

The federal age limit for buying cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches and other tobacco products increased to 21 from 18 in 2019. A survey of more than 2,000 U.S. parents and caregivers of preteens and teens found that fewer than half of respondents knew the legal age, two Stanford University researchers report April 14 in Pediatrics. That’s compared with 82 percent who provided the correct answer for the legal age to purchase alcohol, which is also 21 years.

Needham, Mass., enacted the first law restricting tobacco purchases to those 21 and up roughly two decades ago. Tobacco 21 laws gradually passed in cities and states over time. Since 2019’s nationwide law, more states have followed suit to align with the federal government. Retailers in the few remaining states that haven’t updated their laws are still required to comply with the federal age restriction, but without state policies, enforcement is limited.

That first law reduced smoking among high school students in Needham compared with surrounding communities. As Tobacco 21 laws have increasingly blanketed the country, studies have found reductions in the use of cigarettes, cigars and vapes among 18 to 20 year olds and drops in vaping and smoking among high school seniors. The push for increasing the legal age for buying tobacco products came from research finding that, like those under 18, those who began smoking at 18 to 20 years old were more likely to become dependent on nicotine and have a harder time quitting than those 21 or older.

The new study analyzed data from an online survey that asked parents about the legal age for buying cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches and alcohol. Participants could select an age from 16 through 25 or respond that they didn’t know. The online survey sample is what’s called a convenience sample and is not necessarily representative of the entire population, the researchers note.

Only 47 percent correctly identified 21 as the legal age to purchase vapes and nicotine pouches, the first and second most popular tobacco products among middle and high school students. Forty-eight percent of surveyed parents were right about cigarettes. The uncertainty about the legal purchasing age, the researchers write, indicates that “Tobacco 21 messaging initiatives are needed to reach families with adolescents in order to raise policy awareness and prompt preventive communication.”