Tobacco 21

The Kansas City Medical Society is a strong supporter of Tobacco 21 legislation which prohibits the sale of tobacco products to persons under the age of 21. Tobacco 21 ordinances are now in effect in 25 jurisdictions in the Kansas City metropolitan area representing a majority of the regional population.

The Institute of Medicine Report, Public Health Implications of Raising the Minimum Age of Legal Access to Tobacco Products, through mathematical modeling, estimates a reduction in youth smoking of up to 25% with implementation of Tobacco 21 policies.

For more information on the importance of Tobacco 21, see this article from Kansas City Medicine by Bridget McCandless, MD, MBA, retiring president of the Health Forward Foundation and a past president of KCMS.