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Do vertical ID laws curb teenage drinking and tobacco use?

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  • Russell S. Leonard
  • Joseph J. Sabia

Abstract

Vertical identification laws (VILs)—which require state drivers' licenses issued to individuals under age 21 to be vertically oriented—have been adopted widely across the United States. We find no evidence that VIL adoption has a statistically significant or economically important effect on teenage drinking and smoking. This result persists using Callaway and Sant'Anna estimates and extends to binge drinking, marijuana use, and drinking and driving. Finally, we show that prior estimates reported in the literature are sensitive to sample period studied, choice of Youth Risk Behavior Survey dataset, and accounting for heterogeneous and dynamic treatment effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Russell S. Leonard & Joseph J. Sabia, 2026. "Do vertical ID laws curb teenage drinking and tobacco use?," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 44(1), pages 28-69, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:coecpo:v:44:y:2026:i:1:p:28-69
    DOI: 10.1111/coep.12690
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