AUSTIN, Texas – State Sen. Carlos Uresti of San Antonio has filed a bill that would increase the legal smoking age in Texas from 18 to 21 years.
Senate Bill 183 would affect the purchasing, possessing or consuming of tobacco and nicotine products.
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Uresti said that tobacco use kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined.
He said cities and the state have an obligation to discourage young people from taking up a habit that is likely to shorten their lives.
"An increased smoking age takes advantage of a simple fact. The later one tries that first cigarette, the less likely they are to become a lifetime user," Uresti said in a statement. "Studies are finding that between ages 18 and 21 kids are moving from experimental smoking to become regular everyday smokers. We know that 95 percent of adult smokers begin before age 21."
According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, some 24,500 adult Texans die each year from smoking and 503,000 kids currently under the age of 18 will ultimately die prematurely from tobacco.
Uresti also filed Senate Bill 228, which would allow municipalities the freedom to determine a smoking age that is best for the local community.