Council to Vote to Raise Smoking Age to 21 Years

The City Council is expected to vote today to raise the age limit for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21 years.

If passed, New York City would become the first major city in the United States to raise the age for purchasing cigarettes.

The bill includes electronic cigarettes, which come in a variety of flavors, and targets retailers over underage smokers.

“This disease took my mother because she started smoking when she was 18 and it’s taken many other people’s mothers,” Councilman James Gennaro, D-Fresh Meadows, told 1010 Wins.

Earlier this year, Mayor Michael Bloomberg marked the 10th anniversary of the ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and other indoor public spaces.

Today’s vote follows the mayor’s recent attempt to ban large-size sodas at city restaurants, which was halted by an appellate court judge in July.

Under the new law, violators would be fined up to $1,000 and up to $2,000 for a second violation. Additionally, retailers could lose their license to sell tobacco products.

Patch wants to know: Do you agree with the new law being voted on by the City Council to raise the age for buying cigarettes? Tell us in the comment section below.