Just like being able to drink and purchase alcohol, the legal age for buying tobacco is 21. However, some businesses – particularly in DeKalb – have been caught selling tobacco products to minors. Businesses should not sell tobacco to minors because doing so – aside from it being against the law – can also encourage addiction and cause numerous health issues.
On Aug. 30, 2024, the final version of the federal rule regarding the prohibition of the sale of tobacco to anyone under 21 was issued by the Food and Drug Administration. This federal rule increased the age of purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21. With the rise of youth using tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, it’s more important than ever for businesses to play their part in preventing minors from purchasing tobacco products.
Minors engaging in tobacco use can cause numerous health issues. Due to the chemicals in tobacco products, using them can put minors at a higher risk of developing cancer, having a stroke or getting developing heart disease. Smoking in general, regardless of whether it is tobacco or another drug, can also give lung damage and create what is known as “popcorn lung.”
With minors engaging in tobacco use, there’s always a chance it could potentially lead to addiction as an adult. Minors may partake in the use of tobacco for numerous reasons, such as mental health issues or peer pressure. Businesses selling to minors do make a profit, but are harming people in the process. Teenagers shouldn’t have to become addicted, develop health issues at a young age or even potentially die just so businesses can make money.
There are numerous ways minors securing tobacco products from businesses can be avoided. Although these solutions may seem obvious, the simplest solution is to ask for and check IDs. Although businesses should be doing this already, they should enforce it more.
In addition, there should be harsher penalties for businesses breaking the law by selling tobacco to minors. Instead of just getting a fine, the business should either be at risk of getting shut down or not allowed to sell tobacco anymore after violating the law a certain number of times.
The compliance checks that occur at different businesses that sell tobacco should also happen more frequently.
For the sake of minors’ health and to prevent future addiction, it’s crucial that business owners play their part in upholding and enforcing age restrictions when it comes to the selling of tobacco products. At the end of the day, businesses may want the profit, but profit should not come at the expense of children’s and teenagers’ health.
