Community Corner
City Proposes Raising Legal Age to Buy Cigarettes
The proposal, co-sponsored by Christine Quinn, would raise the age to legally buy cigarettes from 18 to 21
A proposal announced by New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn would raise the age to legally buy cigarettes and other tobacco products in the city from 18 to 21, a measure that would give New York the strictest limits of any major American city, reports The New York Times.
Critics argue that if 18-year-olds are old enough to fight in wars, to drive and to vote, then they also should be able to decide whether they want to take the risk of smoking.
Not so, according to New York City. The move is a final step in Bloomberg’s anti-smoking campaign that started with bans on smoking in restaurants and bars and eventually was expanded to parks, beaches and other public places.
“With this legislation, we’ll be targeting the age group at which the overwhelming majority of smokers start,” said Quinn said at a City Hall news conference.
Although the proposal sets the legal age to purchase tobacco products at 21, it would not prohibit people under 21 from possessing or smoking cigarettes.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
