In an effort to deter teenagers from becoming addicted to the cancer-causing habit, California lawmakers have introduced the first state-wide bill that could raise the minimum legal age to buy and smoke tobacco products to 21 years old.

The bill, known as SB 151, was introduced by California State Sen. Ed Hernandez (D–West Covina) with support from various medical associations, including the California Medical Association, The American Lung Association, and the American Cancer Society. The current legal age to purchase and use tobacco products is 18 years old.

The bill states that its primary purpose in the age increase is to protect citizens’ health by reducing the amount of teens getting exposed to smoking in the first place. “The Legislature finds and declares that reducing and eventually eliminating the illegal purchase and consumption of tobacco products by any person under 21 years of age is critical to ensuring the long-term health of our state’s citizens,” reads the language of the bill. Additionally, it stresses with importance that “California must fully comply with federal regulations, particularly the ‘Synar Amendment,’ that restrict tobacco sales to minors and require states to vigorously enforce their laws prohibiting the sale and distribution of tobacco products to persons under 18 years of age.”

Currently, only four states have taken steps to increase the legal age to purchase tobacco products. In Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, and Utah, the smoking age is 19.

Nearly 18 percent of U.S. adults over the age of 18 – about 42 million Americans – currently smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although the smoking rate has seen a steady decline since U.S. health officials became involved in the push against tobacco companies, young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 remain one of the largest groups of smokers. 36,000 kids start smoking each year in California alone, according to the American Lung Association.

Hernandez released a statement that strongly set forth his reasons for introducing the new bill. “Tobacco companies know that people are more likely to become addicted to smoking if they start at a young age. We can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines while Big Tobacco markets to our kids and gets another generation of young people hooked on a product that will ultimately kill them,” he said.