NYC Proposes Raising Legal Age for Buying Tobacco Products
Published at
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been persistent in his campaign to cut smoking rates in the city — placing smoking bans on bars and restaurants, and even public beaches and parks. Now his latest effort to curb smoking would raise the legal purchase age for tobacco products from 18 to 21.
NYC health officials Monday announced a proposal to change the legal age for buying cigarettes to the same as for purchasing alcohol. This measure, however, would not prohibit those under 21 from actually smoking or possessing cigarettes, the New York Times reports.
According to the Times, critics of the proposal questioned its potential to violate the rights of young people, who at 18 years of age are permitted to drive, vote and be sent into combat. However, city officials defended the measure, saying that by making it more difficult to purchase tobacco products at a younger age, people could be at a lower risk of becoming a lifelong tobacco user.
“With this legislation, we’ll be targeting the age group at which the overwhelming majority of smokers start,” said Christine Quinn, the City Council speaker and a mayoral candidate, according to the New York Times.
The Council is also considering a proposal that would require retailers to keep tobacco products off store shelves and out of shoppers’ sight.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio