REGRESSION DISCONTINUITY EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MINIMUM LEGAL E-CIGARETTE PURCHASING AGE

Increases in youth vaping rates and concerns of a new generation of nicotine addicts re-cently prompted an increase in the federal minimum legal purchase age (MLPA) for tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to 21 years. This study presents the first regression discontinuity evidence on the effectiveness of e-cigarette MLPA laws. Using data on 12th graders from Monitoring the Future, we obtain robust evidence that federal and state age 18 MLPAs decreased underage e-cigarette use by 15–20 percent and frequent use by 20–40 percent. These findings suggest that the age 21 federal MLPA could meaningfully reduce e-cigarette use among 18-to 20-year-olds.

Duke Scholars

Author Jeffrey DeSimone Economics