New York City to Raise Legal Tobacco Purchase Age from 18 to 21

New York City is pushing against teen smokers by raising the legal age to be able to purchase tobacco products.

The legal age for buying tobacco, including cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos will rise to 21, from 18, under a bill adopted by the City Council and which Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has said he would sign, according to Bloomberg news.

Lawmakers voted 35 to 10 to pass the bill Thursday. The new minimum age will take effect six months after signing. New York also prohibits smoking in restaurants, bars, parks and beaches.

"This new law will only make the problem worse," said Bryan D. Hatchell ,a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which makes Camel and other brands, according to the Associated Press.

According to public health advocates say a higher minimum age discourages, or at least delays, young people from starting smoking and thereby limits their health risks. But opponents of such measures have said 18-year-olds, legally considered adults, should be able to make their own decisions about whether or not to smoke.

Apart from increase the legal age to purchase tobacco goods, the Council also approved various other antismoking measures. This includes raising penalties for retailers who evade tobacco taxes, a prohibition on discounts for tobacco products, and a minimum price of $10.50 a pack for cigarettes and little cigars.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates a 10 percent increase in cigarette prices will reduce smoking by at least 3 percent. U.S. cigarette shipments have averaged annual declines of about 4 percent since 1997, according to Richard Larkin, director of credit analysis at Herbert J. Sims & Co.