On November 1, 2017, New Jersey's new law raising the age for purchasing tobacco products and electronic smoking devices from 19 to 21 takes effect. Raising the minimum age to 21 helps protect New Jersey youth from the deadly effects of tobacco use.
Your participation in raising awareness of this new legal age requirement is important. The enclosed information explains the law. Please share it with your colleagues. Post the enclosed signs in public areas where they easily can be seen. They will help to inform the public about the new law.
New Jersey is the third state in the nation to raise the smoking-purchase age to 21 following Hawaii and California. Approximately 13.5% of New Jersey adults between ages 18 and 24 smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 11,800 adults die annually in this state from smoking-related illnesses.
Governor Christie has made reducing tobacco use a part of his anti-addiction initiatives. He has stated that by raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21, young people have more time to develop a maturity and better understanding of how dangerous smoking can be.
For more information about the new law and about New Jersey's Tobacco Control Program, visit the Department of Health website at htlp://n j .g /health/fhs/tobacco/ or search
#NJ21TobaccoLaw on social media. Other helpful resources about tobacco use include
Tobacco-Free for a Healthy New Jersey at bttp://ww\ov.t bac orreenj.com/, and the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/index.htm.