Do Minimum Legal Tobacco Purchase Age Laws Work?

Abstract

This paper uses a regression discontinuity design to estimate the impact of the minimum legal tobacco purchase age (MLTPA) laws on smoking behavior among young adults. Using data from the confidential version of National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997 Cohort), which contains information on the exact birth date of the respondents, we find that the effect of the MLTPA on several indicators of smoking among youth is minor and often insignificant. However, we also show that granting legal access to cigarettes and tobacco products at the MLTPA leads to an increase in several indicators of smoking participation, including up to a 5 percentage point increase in the probability of smoking for males and for those who reported to have smoked before. These results are robust under several alternative model specifications and imply that policies that are designed to restrict youth access to tobacco are quite effective in reducing smoking participation among certain groups of young adults.

E-cigarette minimum legal sale age laws and traditional cigarette use among rural pregnant teenagers

“…While there is evidence that these laws reduce smoking among youth (Ertan Yörük & Yörük, 2016) many youth continue to find ways to evade these laws. For example, in 2016 7.7% of teens giving birth smoked.…”

The effects of e‐cigarette minimum legal sale age laws on youth substance use

“…Although the downward trend in youth smoking indicates a reduction in the number of new initiates, possibly because some of these youth are turning to e-cigarettes, it is not clear whether this trend is necessarily harm reducing because youth who initiate nicotine with e-cigarettes may transition to smoking at some later point in time or to dual use. Many suggest that the laws have been effective in reducing youth smoking (Ahmad & Billimek, 2007;Chaloupka & Pacula, 1998;DiFranza, Savageau, & Fletcher, 2009;Ertan Yörük & Yörük, 2015;Gruber & Zinman, 2001), whereas some find the law's impact being limited (Chaloupka & Grossman, 1996;DeCicca, Kenkel, & Mathios, 2002). 3 In response to the rising e-cigarette use, state governments passed a wave of regulations limiting youth access to e-cigarettes.…”

“…Several studies have examined the efficacy of cigarette MLSA laws adopted between the 1980s and early 1990s. Many suggest that the laws have been effective in reducing youth smoking (Ahmad & Billimek, 2007;Chaloupka & Pacula, 1998;DiFranza, Savageau, & Fletcher, 2009;Ertan Yörük & Yörük, 2015;Gruber & Zinman, 2001), whereas some find the law's impact being limited (Chaloupka & Grossman, 1996;DeCicca, Kenkel, & Mathios, 2002).…”

Nation-scale primary prevention to reduce newly incident adolescent drug use: the issue of lag time

“…These studies have consistently documented greater alcohol consumption among 21 year olds compared to 20 year olds, lending support to the idea that minimum legal drinking age can shape drinking behaviors (Carpenter & Dobkin, 2009; Yörük & Yörük, 2013). The evidence about smoking behavior is less clear (Ertan Yörük & Yörük, 2016). With a focus on variations in the population-level incidence rates for alcohol drinking (i.e., the probability of becoming a user) over multiple years, in our own work, we have added new evidence about the peak risk of drinking onset at 21 years of age in the contemporary US.…”