As a co-patron of SB 1727, the Virginia bill to increase the legal smoking age from 18 to 21, I was incredibly grateful to see Congress pass this legislation on the federal level late last year, which is commonly known as “Tobacco 21.” This was one of the few noncontroversial policies supported by large majorities of both parties in the House and the Senate, President Trump, and 73% of Americans. And it is becoming even clearer why that is — because Tobacco 21 is effective at reducing teenage usage of tobacco products.

One of the major catalysts for Congress’ Tobacco 21 push was the shocking and unsettling rise in teenage vaping that has occurred over the past few years. For example, the rate of 12th graders who reported vaping in the 30 days before being surveyed doubled from January 2017 to January 2018. This increase was alarming given the steady decline in teenage usage of traditional cigarettes, which is at an all-time low.