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 The legislation, if enacted, would also put the legal age for
purchasing and possessing tobacco and nicotine-vapor products on an
equal footing with the state's minimum drinking age of 21, with the
goal of restricting access to teens and lowering healthcare
expenses.
The measure, however, would cost the state some $20 million a year
in estimated tax revenue.
"Research shows the young adult brain, still developing between 18
and 21, is highly susceptible to nicotine addiction," Attorney
General Bob Ferguson said in a statement.
"We must do more to protect our youth from tobacco's grip, and this
bill is an important step toward keeping nicotine out of the hands
of kids and young adults," he said.
The legislation would bring the cigarette-purchasing age in the
Democratic-leaning Pacific Northwest state in line with the
threshold for buying recreational marijuana products, which state
voters opted to legalize in 2012 for residents at least 21 years
old.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the
United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths annually, or
one of every five deaths overall, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
Most U.S. states set the legal smoking age at 18, while a handful
have set it higher at 19. Some cities and counties, including New
York City and Hawaii County, have already raised the smoking age to
21.
The U.S. West as a region has a lower smoking prevalence rate than
other parts of the country, at 14.2 percent, according to 2012
census data. The rate in the Midwest stands at 26 percent, the South
at 19.7 percent and the Northeast at 16.5 percent, the CDC said.
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Ferguson was joined by two Washington state lawmakers, Republican
Senator Mark Miloscia and Democratic Representative Tina Orwall, who
said they expect opposition from the tobacco industry as well as
from some colleagues in the legislature.
Altria Group Inc, which owns Philip Morris USA and R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company, did not immediately respond to requests for
comment.
More than 90 percent of smokers began the habit in their teens,
Ferguson said, citing federal data from 2012. He said smoking kills
8,300 Washington residents annually and contributes $2.8 billion in
healthcare costs.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Bill
Trott and Lisa Shumaker)
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