Our Policy Package
Tobacco 21
Preventing tobacco use has already had a dramatic effect on our country, yet smoking tobacco remains the single most preventable cause of death and disease.
Policies that raise the minimum legal age for the sale of tobacco products to 21 can reduce the number of young people – even those younger than 21 – using these products, which greatly reduces their risk for addiction, disease, and premature death.
Our assessment of Tobacco 21 policies includes information about city-specific laws, along with the relevant county- and state-level laws that affect them.
This cross-sectional dataset displays laws valid through February 1, 2020.
*Out of the Nation’s 40 Largest Cities
The state of Tobacco 21 policies in big US cities
Forty out of 40 cities received a gold medal for their Tobacco 21 policies.
Measuring big cities’ Tobacco 21 policies
| How did we award Tobacco 21 policy medals? |  Gold Medal |
|---|---|
| Must set the minimum legal sale age of tobacco products to 21 |  |
| The age restriction explicitly applies to all tobacco products, including e-cigarette and vapor products | |
Data Deep Dive
Data were created and maintained by the Center for Public Health Law Research.
Related Resources
- Press Release
- December 19, 2019
- Press Release
- October 23, 2019
Tobacco 21 medal table
Legend
- Gold City
- Silver City
- Bronze City
- No Medal
- Coming Soon
