Published: March 31, 2009 10:06 pm      

Senate committee passes increased smoking age

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Though they are legally considered adults and can serve in the military, 18-year-old Texans would be considered minors when it comes to smoking under a bill passed unanimously through a Senate committee Tuesday.

The measure would increase the legal age for buying tobacco products to 19, and would cut off an estimated $12.5 million in tax revenue for the state over the next two years.

San Antonio Democrat Sen. Carlos Uresti pushed the same measure in 2007, but after winning approval in the Senate it fizzled out in an end of session backlog of bills in the House.

Supporters say raising the legal age will prevent teens from smoking an extra year and keep cigarettes out of high schools in general where they can be passed along to younger students.

According to the Department of State Health Services, roughly one-fourth of Texas high school students smoked cigarettes in 2006.

"The pressure is on them to start smoking at an early age. Studies have shown us the longer we can put that off, there's a better chance they'll never start smoking," Uresti said.

Uresti said raising the age could cut tobacco use by 20 percent for 18-year-olds. And while the state will get less money from taxes on cigarettes, the state could save billions over time in health care costs for smoking-related diseases.

"We talk about prevention a lot, and that's a mantra where health and human services is concerned this session," Uresti said.

The Texas Medical Association, pediatric and cancer groups and the national Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids are supporting the measure.

Four other states — Alabama, Utah, Alaska and New Jersey — have raised the smoking age to 19.

Uresti said he thinks moving the bill through committee and wider support will help it move forward this session.

Opposition has not come forward yet.

Tobacco-giant Phillip Morris is neutral on efforts to raise the smoking age, said spokesman Bill Phelps.

In the past, opponents have said if 18-year-olds are old enough to serve in the military, they should be able to choose whether to smoke.

At least one senator who opposed the measure on those grounds two years ago has changed his position. Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, said Tuesday that more information and statistics about kids smoking in high school led him to vote for the measure in committee.

With approval from the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the proposal now seeks a hearing with the full Senate.