(SAVANNAH, GA) Georgia Department of Health’s Coastal Health District and Healthy Savannah are launching a new campaign with Savannah area retailers to remind the public of Georgia’s Tobacco 21 Law that prohibits tobacco and vaping products from being sold to anyone under 21 years of age. The campaign also provides resources to young people and others interested in quitting.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable and premature death in the United States. Nearly all tobacco use begins during youth and young adulthood. People who begin smoking at a young age are more likely to become addicted, to progress to daily smoking, and to smoke more heavily in adulthood. In addition, the use of nicotine by adolescents and young adults can harm the developing brain, including the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.
Georgia’s Tobacco 21 Law was passed in July 2020, making it unlawful for any person to sell or barter, directly or indirectly any cigarettes, tobacco products, tobacco-related objects, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products to any individual under the age of 21. The law also makes it unlawful for anyone under 21 to purchase such products or for anyone to purchase such products for those under 21. It also prohibits vaping within a school safety zone.
The state law aligns with a 2019 amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that raised the minimum legal sales age for tobacco products from 18 to 21 years. At the time, of the 34 million adults who smoked cigarettes, 9 out of 10 who smoked daily had first started smoking by age 18. After age 25, almost no adults began smoking or transitioned to daily smoking.
According to the Institute of Medicine’s 2015 report, by increasing the minimum legal sales age for tobacco products to 21 years, it is projected that:
● Tobacco use will decrease by 12 percent by the time today’s teenagers become adults; smoking-related deaths will decrease by 10 percent.
● Smoking initiation will be reduced by 25 percent for 15–17-year-olds and by 15 percent for 18–20-year-olds.
● Nationwide, 223,000 premature deaths will be prevented among people born between 2000 and 2019, including 50,000 fewer deaths from lung cancer.
In addition to the health benefits of enforcing the Tobacco 21 Law, the Coastal Health District, Healthy Savannah and local retailers want the public to know that there are serious penalties for violating the law. Any individual seller who violates the Tobacco 21 law in Georgia is guilty of a misdemeanor and anyone under 21 who violates the law will be required to perform community service and may be subject to other penalties including suspension of their driver’s license.
Business owners who sell tobacco products must also post signage that states: SALE OF CIGARETTES, TOBACCO, TOBACCO PRODUCTS, TOBACCO RELATED OBJECTS, ALTERNATIVE NICOTINE PRODUCTS, OR VAPOR PRODUCTS TO INDIVIDUALS UNDER 21 YEARS OF AGE IS PROHIBITED BY LAW.
The Coastal Health District is also encouraging young people and others who want to quit smoking or vaping to know that help is just a phone call or text away. The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line at (877) 270-STOP is a FREE evidence-based public health service in a variety of languages providing telephone, text, and web-based counseling services to any tobacco user 13 years and older. The service offers cessation (quitting) services, referrals to community resources and a free 4-week supply of nicotine replacement therapy gums or patches for qualified Georgia residents.
Those who want to take the first step toward a healthier life by ditching their vape can also get confidential, 24/7 support through #ThisIsQuitting by texting VAPEFREEGA to 88709.
For Healthy Savannah, this current campaign to raise awareness of the Tobacco 21 law aligns with the organization’s long history of striving to raise health outcomes across the Savannah area. In 2010, Healthy Savannah implemented the “BreatheEasy Savannah” campaign to pass Savannah’s Smoke-Free Smoke-Free Air Ordinance, which prohibits smoking from all of the city’s public places and workplaces.
For more information:
Coastal Healthy District Tobacco 21 Law: https://coastalhealthdistrict.org/tobacco-21-law/
Georgia Quit Line: https://dph.georgia.gov/readytoquit
BreathEasy: https://healthysavannah.org/smoke-free-air-savannah/
MEDIA CONTACT:
Marjorie Young
www.carriagetradepr.com
912-844-9990