Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/279815 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
ZEW Discussion Papers No. 23-046
Publisher: 
ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung, Mannheim
Abstract: 
Increases in youth vaping rates and concerns of a new generation of nicotine addicts recently 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% and frequent use by 20-40%. These findings suggest that the age-21 federal MLPA could meaningfully reduce e-cigarette use among 18-20-year-olds.
Subjects: 
e-cigarettes
minimum legal purchase age (MLPA)
Monitoring the Future
regression discontinuity
vaping
JEL: 
I12
I18
H51
H75
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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