NEEDHAM, Mass. — In a historic vote, congress voted to pass a bill that raises the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21.
A similar law went into effect in the Commonwealth late last year, but the 21 Tobacco Movement started long before in Needham in 2005.
That's when the town became the first jurisdiction in the country requiring those purchasing tobacco be 21 and older, doing what others had deemed impossible.
Tim McDonald, the president of Needham’s Department of Public Health, says this step by congress is huge. Since passing the 21 plus law for tobacco products, he says they’ve seen a major decrease in tobacco usage among teens.
“This was a vote that had many people in the community and many businesses in the community very concerned,” McDonald explained. “There’s data that shows this has a positive effect on youth health.”
He says the bold move paid off.
A Metrowest adolescent health survey shows that in 2006 – a year after Needham’s 21 Tobacco Law went into effect, 12.9 percent of Needham high schoolers were smoking cigarettes. But in 2014, that number was cut nearly in half to 7.7 percent. In 2018, Needham hit its lowest number with only 2.4 percent of high schoolers reporting they smoke cigarettes.
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"Many communities around us did not have as drastic as a reduction because the legal age was still 18," McDonald said.
The town has been the go-to for other cities and states adopting the 21 Tobacco Law. McDonald says a huge part of the law’s success has to do with enforcement and compliance.
"We work with the police department where we have a youth go under cover and try to purchase and we are very fortunate in this town to have vendors that are excellent at checking IDs and have very little failures," he said.
McDonald said raising the age from 18 to 21 nationwide will save lives.
"This change has had a demonstrated effect on youth health," he said. "Fewer people are using and fewer people become addicted. It’s a great day for public health."
The federal law is expected to go into effect in late 2020.
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