A bill to raise the age to buy tobacco and vaping products in Pennsylvania might not make the impact legislators hope it will, but it’s still a worthwhile venture.

The bill passed in the state Senate in September, and it will now go before the House of Representatives.

The current age at which residents can purchase tobacco and vaping products is 18. The bill — authored by Sen. Mario Scavello, R, Monroe County — would raise the age to 21 years.

Scavello argues that younger teens hanging out with 18-year-olds often give in to peer pressure to smoke. The senator believes this would be less likely if the age to purchase tobacco or vaping products was raised to age 21.

The bill’s aim to deter youths from getting addicted to tobacco has obvious benefits, and a 2015 report by the National Academy of Medicine argues that raising the age could have a substantial impact on public health.

The study found that 95 percent of adult smokers take up the habit before age 21, and that the period between ages 18 and 21 is when many move from experimental smoking to daily use.

The study noted that about 350 youths below age 18 become regular smokers daily, and 1 in 3 of them will die as a result.

By raising the age to 21, the study argued, the likelihood would be significantly reduced that a high school student would purchase tobacco products for younger students.

There have been some arguments that raising the age wouldn’t have much of an impact.

Naysayers have used the argument that if a young person wants to get their hands on something illicit — whether it’s cigarettes or alcohol — they’ll find a way, while others have noted that more laws will only matter if they’re well enforced.

Also, studies in recent years have shown that smoking is already well on the decline among young people. However, Dr. Rachel Levine, the state’s secretary of health, said that vaping, which has been linked to lung disease, has seen an increase among youths.

So, while it remains to be seen whether raising the age for purchasing tobacco and vaping products will have the desired effect, it’s a good idea to make it harder for young people to get their hands on them.

It’s an even better idea for new laws to be accompanied by an educational component to discourage youths from taking up the habit. Teaching them about the dangers of smoking could go an even longer way than laws that young people have long been tempted to defy.