Skeptical response to minimum age rise

New Jersey residents have displayed skepticism over the likely effect of proposed legislation that would raise from 19 to 21 the minimum age at which a person could legally buy tobacco products, according to a story by Don E. Woods for the South Jersey Times.

Woods quoted two residents. One aged 25, who said he started smoking when he was 15, conceded that the measure might help, but said it would not end the problem. The other, aged 22, who said he started at 17, believed that young people would smoke regardless.

The idea of raising the minimum age has come from Senator Richard J. Codey, who, while he was governor in 2006, signed legislation that raised the legal smoking age from 18 to 19 years.

“Research shows that a large majority of casual smokers become addicted between the ages of 18 and 21,” Codey said in a press release.

“If we limit access to tobacco products during those formative years, it will buy them time that could save their lives. They can make more mature decisions about smoking with a better understanding of all the potential consequences for themselves and others around them.”