Tobacco Addiction In California

1305 Words6 Pages

AB-8/ SB 151 seeks to decrease tobacco addiction in California by severely limiting youth access to tobacco products by increasing the age of sale for tobacco products to 21. Adolescent brains are more prone to tobacco addiction and by the age of 21, if a person is a non-smoker, they are less likely to become a smoker. This bill is an extension to current legislature, the STAKE Act, which prohibits sale of tobacco products to persons under age of 18 years old. There have been proven negative health effects due to smoking and have contributed to the increase in health care costs due to smoking-related-illnesses.

Economic Impact of Healthcare System The economic impact on the healthcare system is possible loss of tax revenues on tobacco …show more content…

In this case, the redistributive efforts do not assist those with low income. A majority of these health care costs were coming from Medicaid recipients. High health costs associated with smoking were being paid by tax-payers. There has been a significant increase in health care costs associated with smoking-related diseases. Many organizations and political groups supported this legislation. “When only one group has a concentrated interest in the outcome of legislation and the costs are diffuse, legislators will respond to the political support the group is willing to pay to have favorable legislation (Feldstein, 2015).” In this case, there was more support than opposition, so there did not have to be …show more content…

The opposing argument states the bill would be unfair to our currently serving men and women stationed in California (SB-151 Tobacco Products, n.d.). This refers to our current workforce by addressing the current individuals employed in the military. Individuals 18-20 years of age will be forced to quit and not be legally allowed to use tobacco products. The opposition was based on the military personnel’s rights; however, the serious health issues associated with smoking took precedence.

Does it address a demand or access issues?
Increasing the minimum age of tobacco products will lead to reductions in both smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption among smokers, especially among adolescents and young adults. Access will be decreased to minors and 18-20 year olds who already smoke have to be forced to quit. In all likelihood, the majority of this population would attempt to purchase tobacco products illegally through retailer or black market channel (SB-151 Tobacco Products, n.d.). These access issues align with the goals of this legislation by decreasing accessibility to this target population.

Does it address a supply