New York City To Raise Tobacco-Purchasing Age to 21

The legal age to purchase tobacco products in New York City will soon be the highest for any major city after the City Council voted Wednesday to raise the minimum age from 18 to 21, The New York Times reported.

The legal age for buying tobacco, including cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos, will be 21 under the new bill, which Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said he will sign.

"We know that tobacco dependence can begin very soon after a young person first tries smoking, so it's critical that we stop young people from smoking before they ever start," Bloomberg said in a statement.

The new tobacco-purchasing age limit will take effect six months after the mayor signs the bill. The City Council also voted in favor of a $10.50-a-pack minimum price for cigarettes, and for steps to bolster law enforcement on illegal tobacco sales, ABC News reports.

"This is literally legislation that will save lives," Christine C. Quinn, the Council speaker, said shortly before the bill passed 35 to 10.

The proposed bill incited some protest from those who pointed out that since New Yorkers under 21 can drive, vote and fight in wars, they should be considered mature enough to decide whether or not to buy tobacco products.

The smoking age is 18 in most of the country, but some states have made it 19, according to The New York Times. Some counties have also adopted 19, including Nassau and Suffolk on Long Island. Needham, Mass., a suburb of Boston, increased the smoking age to 21 in 2005.

Some say the new minimum age will hurt retailers without doing anything to limit smoking.

James Calvin, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores, warned on Wednesday that thousands of retail jobs could be lost because the law would reduce traffic not just for tobacco, but also on incidental purchases like coffee or lottery tickets.

Calvin also predicted the law would do little to curb smoking, as it does not outlaw the possession of cigarettes by under-age smokers, only their purchase.