If Julian Santiago sees the change he hoped for and worked for as a youth advocate, the pressure kids feel to light up will diminish.

“(Kids) try to fit into a system in high school, so they won't get bullied. It’s mostly about peer pressure,” said Santiago, 16, a sophomore at Hodgson Vocational Technical High School.

He’s seen kids succumb to being told they’re not "man" enough to smoke e-cigarettes. But he never budged. Once he has his mind made up that something is bad for him, he stays away from it, he said.

Santiago is part of Kick Butts Generation, a group of youth across the state involved in advocacy groups that celebrated when Gov. John Carney signed the law that increases the legal smoking age to purchase tobacco products to 21.

It takes effect on Tuesday.

THE EFFECTS:Will raising Delaware's smoking age to 21 have any real impact?

The law prohibits retailers from selling and adults from purchasing tobacco products for young people, threatening to fine them up to $1,000 for doing so.

So far, 16 states have passed similar legislation.

In Delaware and across the country, e-cigarettes are gaining popularity, which lawmakers pondered when researching the bill. Youth advocates like Teayra Bowden, 17, a senior at Mount Pleasant High School, said the need for that specific language was needed.

“They don’t have a regular smoking smell," she said of e-cigarettes. "They smell like gum,” Bowden said. “They are becoming more and more popular.”

Bowden said it's easy for kids to fly under the radar smoking e-cigarettes because they don’t stink and look like computer flash drives, which allows students to take puffs in school bathrooms, the lunchroom or in class without teachers knowing that they are smoking.

THE DETAILS:What you need to know about the new smoking law

“I think that it’s awesome that they had the idea to raise the law,” she said.

Bowden is also a member of Kick Butts Generation. Advocacy has taught her to not judge her peers, but to pass on information to help them make better decisions.

“The more I learned about how this affects your health, the more passionate I became,” she said. “It’s important to have laws like this. The more you become educated the more you can help your peers.”

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The students partnered with bigger groups such as the American Lung Association, who also advocated for the law change.

“This is a very positive step for public health,” said Deborah Brown, chief mission officer for the American Lung Association. Brown noted in January only a handful of states had 21 and over laws for smoking age on the books, but in six months, at least 10, including Delaware, have followed suit.

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“We are all responsible to make sure we are preventing young people from ever smoking. The longer we can prevent them from smoking, the more likely they will not pick up this addiction," Brown said.

Ira Porter writes about the people of Delaware and the issues that affect them. Have a story for him? Email iporter@delawareonline.com.