Washington State was presented a proposal that would change the legal smoking age to increase from 18 years of age to 21.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson has proposed that increasing the legal smoking age to match the legal drinking age will decrease the amount of nicotine related health issues the citizens in Washington State face.

“Research shows the young adult brain, still developing between 18 and 21, is highly susceptible to nicotine addiction,” Ferguson said.

“We must do more to protect our youth from tobacco’s grip, and this bill is an important step toward keeping nicotine out of the hands of kids and young adults,” Ferguson said.

The Senate Bill 5494 and House Bill 1458 was inspired by other states such as California and Utah who are also trying to grant similar bills to pass.

The bill is sponsored by Senator Mark Miloscia and State Representative Tina Orwall.

“We know that tobacco is highly addictive, that most smokers begin to use nicotine in their teens and can later develop tobacco-related illnesses like cancer, emphysema and heart disease,” Orwall said. “By restricting use during youth we hope to break this cycle of addiction and, ultimately, save lives.”

According to statements made by Ferguson there are almost three billion dollars spent in health care costs relating to nicotine use and nearly four hundred million dollars are spent in taxes.

Although the bill to raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 has not succeeded to pass in other states, Ferguson hopes that restricting teenagers from legally buying or using nicotine, either it be from cigarettes or vapor cigarettes, will break the cycle of youth addiction.

The statement provided on the ‘Washington State Office of the Attorney General’ website reported the 2012 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report found that more than 90% of smokers begin during their teens.

Research shows more than a quarter of smokers move from experimentation to daily use between ages 18 and 21.

The addictive nicotine dependency is known to start during the smoker’s teen years, which in most cases develop into tobacco related illnesses or deaths later in life.

The bill was scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on February 11, 2015. It is being referred to as the ‘Health Care & Wellness’ bill.