The US territory of Guam is proposing raising the tobacco again from 18 to 21. The measure which comes from Vice Speaker Benjamin Cruz a Democrat from Piti has proposed bill 141-33 that would ban the sale and use of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and e-cigarettes among other tobacco products to those under the age of 21.
The measure if passed would go into effect on January 1st, 2016 which is the same date that the Hawaiian law is set to go into effect. .
According to Cruz “Big Tobacco has killed more people annual than crack cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin combined.” The islands Department of Public Health and Social Services says that 70% of all deaths in 2011 were related to tobacco use. According to them, diabetes, cancer, and diseases of the heart were “directly caused or exacerbated by tobacco.
The number however doesn’t add up as reports show that 26.5% of the nation uses tobacco.”
