Local legislation can reduce adolescent tobacco use

Local legislation can reduce adolescent tobacco use

Researchers at Boston College examined the associations between tobacco control policies in several Massachusetts counties and adolescent tobacco use. They found that counties with greater implementation of flavored tobacco product restrictions were associated with a decrease in the level of cigarette use, with the largest reductions among 14- and 18-year-olds. Increasing flavored tobacco product restrictions were also associated with reductions in the likelihood of e-cigarette use. Increasing Tobacco 21 restrictions were associated with decreases in cigarette use only among 18-year-olds, while there was no evidence of associations between smoke-free laws and use of either tobacco product. The take-home message: Municipalities should enact stricter retail tobacco control policies if they aren’t preempted from doing so. Read the paper.