Texas state senator, Carlos Uresti, is calling for the legal smoking age to be raised from 18 to 21, according to a report by Karen Grace for KVUE.
Uresti says that more than 503,000 people now under the age of 18 will die prematurely from tobacco-related illnesses.
“If this bill passes, 33 per cent of our 18, 19 and 20-year-olds will never start to smoke,” Uresti was quoted as saying. “That’s significant.”
But what about the money the state budget would sacrifice from fewer cigarette sales? “I think it’s a shame that we are relying on these young adults to smoke to balance our budget,” Uresti added.
