NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – NashvilleHealth, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and CityHealth recently released new poll results that show a strong majority of Tennesseans are in favor of raising the tobacco sale age to 21, with an overwhelming majority saying vaping products and electronic cigarettes should be included in the law.
Vote in ClarksvilleNow’s poll about the issue below (may take a few seconds to load):
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Support for Tobacco 21 is broad and deep across the state, crossing partisan, ideological, demographic and geographic lines.
According to the poll, 63 percent of Tennessee voters support increasing the minimum age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21, and 86 percent believe vaping products and e-cigarettes should be included. Intensity is strong with 48 percent of voters saying they strongly favor the tobacco age increase.
Voters in the state also strongly support smoke-free workplaces and overwhelmingly back dedicated tobacco prevention funding to bring down smoking rates and combat the new epidemic of e-cigarette use among youth. The poll shows that 78 percent of voters favor a state law to make all indoor public spaces smoke-free.
Support is well over 70 percent across party lines, with even a majority of smokers (56 percent) backing smoke-free workplace legislation. Meanwhile, 80 percent of those polled support dedicating at least $4 million of the state’s tobacco revenue funds to tobacco prevention programs.
NashvilleHealth has partnered with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and CityHealth, an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, to commission the poll, which was conducted statewide by Public Opinion Strategies.
“Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in Tennessee, yet 125,000 children alive today will still die from this behavior unless smoking rates decline,” Sen. Bill Frist, MD, said. “Studies show that raising the sale age for tobacco products will make a substantial difference, and these data show that Tennesseans are incredibly supportive.”
The majority of voters in Tennessee, seven in 10, are concerned about smoking and other tobacco use among young people in the state. Tennesseans are even more concerned about the use of e-cigarettes among young people in the state (77 percent concerned), with half of voters saying they are very concerned.
The poll included a random statewide sample of 600 registered voters with 300 cell phone respondents and was conducted from Feb. 7-10, 2019, with a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
To date, seven states have raised their tobacco sale age to 21 – California, Hawaii, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine and Virginia – along with over 440 localities across the country. Illinois and Utah have also adopted Tobacco 21 measures that are pending the governor’s signature to become law in each state. A number of other states are close to raising the tobacco sale age to 21 as well.