Lawmakers in Washington State push to raise age to buy tobacco, and vaping products to 21. As a healthcare professional I am in full support of the 2 bills. Reducing smoking addiction rates should supercede business concerns.   The following statement is taken from a recent phone interview I had with a local news company in regards to my thoughts on the subject matter, vaping in particular:

“They’re causing the same kind of damage as cigarettes do,” said Dr. Sheila Rege said, an oncologist out of Kennewick with the Northwest Cancer Clinic and serves on the WSMA Board of Trustees. “Gum disease, mouth sores, the gas and particles going into the lungs.”

If passed, WA would be the sixth state in the country to raise the age to 21 to purchase nicotine products. This is especially important since studies have shown that majority of smokers get addicted before the age of 21. The following is another quote taken directly from the article found at the link below. “The state reports if current smoking rates don’t change in our state, more than 100,000 kids alive today will die early from tobacco related illnesses.”

You can learn more about the developing story here:

http://keprtv.com/news/local/lawmakers-push-to-raise-age-to-buy-tobacco-vaping-products-to-21