CNN: Raise age to buy cigarettes to 21, says Laurence Steinberg

Teen smoking rates, which had steadily decreased from 1996 to 2006, have stalled and no one knows why, writes Laurence Steinberg, a developmental psychologist at Temple and an expert on teen risk-taking, in an opinion piece: "In order to limit teenagers' access to cigarettes, we need to find a way to get them out of their social networks...Restricting sales of cigarettes to individuals 21 and older will both limit their legal sale to individuals who are less likely to become addicted, and will keep more cigarettes out of the hands of younger individuals who are far more vulnerable."
April 19, 2011 | CNN