Talking Point: History shows the age we associate with activities varies as we learn the consequences

There is no good argument for not raising the age to buy tobacco – and Tasmania is ideal for starting the T21 law in Australia because of strong compliance from retailers, writes Kathryn Barnsley.

THOSE who oppose progressively lifting the age at which tobacco can legally be sold to people because it breaches the principle of what it means to be an adult are ignoring the weight of history and good judgment.

There is no sustainable argument as to why principle should be allowed to protect the tobacco industry while the lives of young Tasmanians are under threat. Using a lethal product should not be a rite of passage. My grandmother could buy a tincture called laudanum, containing opium, over the counter anywhere at any age. Anyone who has read romantic historic novels will be familiar with ladies taking a powder for their headaches, to quieten cranky babies, and other ailments. When I was 16 it was legal for me to get married, although the law permitted my mother’s generation to marry at 12.

When I was 16 it was legal for me to buy tobacco, but I could not legally vote or buy alcohol until I was 21.

When I was 17 I could buy amphetamines over the counter at a chemist for weight loss. Prescription amphetamines are still used in treatments for ADD and ADHD, obesity, narcolepsy, and Parkinson’s disease.

When I was 18 I could get a driver’s licence. When I reach 75 I will have to have a medical examination to ensure I am still fit to drive. The minimum age to rent a vehicle is 21 years of age, and those under 25 may have to pay a surcharge.

The voting age was reduced from 21 years to 18 in Australia in 1973. There is now discussion and proposals to lower the voting age to 16.

The age was reduced because of equity arguments about 18-year-olds being old enough to fight, but not old enough to vote. The same armed forces equity argument applied in 1974 when the age of access to alcohol was reduced from 21 to 18 in Tasmania.

Some of these age variations do not always seem fair, as they may be made on political grounds, not always on evidence. JobSeeker is not available until age 22.

In the US, access to both alcohol and tobacco products, including e-cigarettes is restricted to those over the age of 21 years (T21) and 1.8 million fewer young people are vaping since late 2019, when the law was signed.

History shows the age we associate with particular products or activities varies as we better understand the consequences for society. Tobacco smoking remains the largest preventable cause of premature death and disease and there is no age at which it becomes safe. There is good reason to rethink the sales age for tobacco.

Why do we condone this situation for the tobacco industry when we did not do so for the amphetamine, narcotics (like codeine — only recently restricted to prescription), and opium industries?

Kathryn Barnsley. Picture: Sam Rosewarne

The federal Health Minister intends to permit the prescribing of nicotine vaping products next year. It will be interesting to see if there are any age restrictions in the light of recent Australian research that vaping leads to a three-fold increase in the uptake of smoking in young people.

The T21 Bill which has been on the Tasmanian parliamentary notice paper, accessible continuously online since 2018, would phase in raising the age of tobacco and e-cigarette sales from 18 to 21, gradually over three or four years. The Bill will be debated later this month.

Sale of cigarettes in Tasmania was restricted to those over 18, raised from 16, in 1997, one of the last states to raise the age. The number of young smokers, which had been increasing, fell soon after the age was raised to 18 years.

Unlike the T21 Bill there was no phase-in period — one day 17-year olds were permitted to smoke, the next day they were not.

Most smokers commence before the age of 21 and become ad`dicted, an addiction that takes away their rights to health and the freedom to choose.

The 70,500 smokers in Tasmania would be unaffected by this law. Nor will young smokers under 21 be punished or fined, and young shop assistants will still be able to sell tobacco in family businesses. Only tobacco sellers who breach the law would be fined.

Tasmania is an ideal jurisdiction to initiate the T21 law in Australia because it has excellent enforcement, with 98 per cent compliance from retailers, and a Tobacco Control Plan in place which incorporates many other measures to help smokers quit.

If you have concerns about your or others’ smoking or need help, Quitline 13 7848.

Dr Kathryn Barnsley is a former member of the national Expert Advisory Committee on Tobacco, is co-convenor of SmokeFree Tasmania and an adjunct researcher at the School of Medicine at the University of Tasmania.